Jamshedpur, June 29: The roadmap of Jharkhand is a set to get a facelift. Work on the conversion of the National Highway 33 into a four-lane expressway would begin shortly with the Centre giving the go-ahead.

In the first phase, work would begin on a 115-km stretch between Barhi and Ranchi followed by the Ranchi-Bahragora zone.

According to sources, the state national highway department has already swung into action after getting the approval from the Centre. In accordance with the Centre’s directives, a special committee comprising representatives from the forest, energy and the revenue departments has formed to work out the modalities.

Informing about the development, chief engineer, national highway, Jharkhand, R.S. Dubey told The Telegraph that the conversion of the national highways into a four-lane one is scheduled to be carried out in phases.

“In the first phase, the Centre has earmarked 10,000 km of national highways into a four-lane expressway across the country. But in the current year, work on only 3,000 km was taken up. In Jharkhand, work on the stretch between Barhi and Ranchi would start any time after October,” he said.

Dubey said construction would be carried out under the guidelines and observations of the National Highway Authority of India and the PWD (Road Construction) would be functioning as a co-ordinating agency. He said work would be done by a US-based multinational company on a built-operate-transfer basis.

Speaking about the project, the chief engineer, who is also the chief engineer, PWD (Road Construction), said it involved a wide range of activities. “This kind of national highway expansion programme needs shifting of electrical installation from the existing position, felling of trees and even acquisition of government as well as riyati land. All the departments concerned have to work in close co-ordination so that construction work is over in scheduled time. The PWD (Road Construction) department has to work as a co-ordinating body.”

Dubey said an international consultant, Costuma, had made the detailed project report (DPR) on the four-lane project a year ago and had selected the stretch between Barhi and Ranchi on the NH 33 for conversion.