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Construction work of the culvert in progress at Jharia Vihar Colony in Dhanbad on Monday. Picture by Gautam Dey
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Commuting worries of families residing near underground fire-affected areas around NH-32 and those who have been rehabilitated to Belgarhia are set to be resolved to a great extent once two new roads are ready by the end of the year.
While work on strengthening an existing 8km-road, from Belgarhia to the Jharia Baliapur Road via Mukunda, began last month, more than 27 per cent work of widening a 22km stretch of NH-32 from Mahuda to Topchanchi has also been completed.
Sunil Delala, chief manager (civil) of Jharia Rehabilitation and Development Authority (JRDA), said that the 8km-road from Belgarhia to Jharia and Dhanbad, being constructed by Rural Engineering Organisation (REO) as per an agreement signed on January 23, 2013 with Priti Enterprises, would be ready within a year.
“Construction work of a culvert and soldering work of the road have already started near Dokra,” he said, adding that the new road project was titled Railway Crossing Baramasia to Jharia Baliapur path via Mukunda and was being built at a cost of Rs 3.42 crore.
“The new road will connect around 1,100 newly rehabilitated families of Belgarhia with two the towns of Jharia and Dhanbad,” he said.
Most families of Belgarhia are daily wage earners who find it difficult to go commute to and from Jharia or Dhanbad, around 6km and 8km away respectively. The new road will be a boon for future residents of 2,000 additional flats coming up in Belgarhia for which construction work, at a cost of Rs 68.30 crore, began in February.
On the Rs 20 crore NH-32 diversion project, Delala said an agreement was signed with East India Construction Company, Bokaro, on 28 April, 2012. More than 27 per cent of the work spread over 22km had already been completed. The scheduled date of completion was October.
A detailed project report for the diversion of NH-32 — from Mahuda, Maheshpur, Bhatmurna, Golbhavan to Topchanchi — was prepared by infrastructure consultancy firm, Rites, in 2011 on instructions of JRDA to ensure the safety of people living near the fire-affected areas of Godhar, Kendua and Putki.
BCCL provided Rs 20 crore to JRDA for carrying out the diversion work in March, while JRDA approached the state road construction department which awarded the contract to East India Construction Company of Calcutta after issuing tenders.
Regarding its progress, road construction department executive engineer M.N. Jha said, “Work on a 17km stretch from Topchanchi to Gomoh-Khasmi, Hariana and Nawagarh, out of the total 22 k, is in progress. If everything goes according to plan, the project will be completed within the schedule time-frame.”
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