Shillong: The Meghalaya government is putting in efforts to remove hurdles for the expansion of National Highway 40 from Shillong to Tamabil. The highway will link Bangladesh via Dawki.

According to the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL), the road project, about 95km, was estimated at Rs 1,187.5 crore. It will be funded by Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under loan agreement.

The total project cost, including land acquisition, was estimated at Rs 1,377.5 crore and the final detailed project report was submitted on August 23, 2017.

Meghalaya PWD (roads) minister, Prestone Tynsong told reporters here on Monday that alignment for the proposed expansion of the highway has been done, but some hurdles are yet to be removed in certain portions of the highway.

Some of the hurdles include clearance for the road project to bypass the Laimer area in Upper Shillong via a reserve forest instead of the existing highway.

Tynsong said a meeting to discuss the matter would be convened on Wednesday with officials of the state forest department, regional office of the Union ministry of forest and environment, PWD (roads) and other line departments.

While the rest of the stretch is double lane, the stretch from Umshyrpi here to 7 Mile, Upper Shillong, will be converted into four-lane, Tynsong said, adding that getting land along this stretch will be taken care of by Union ministry of road transport and ministry of defence.

At Dawki, a new bridge over the Umngot river will be built.

Tynsong said that a tender for the project would be floated by the NHIDCL.

Though a foundation stone was laid by then Union minister of state for road transport Mahadev Singh Khandela in 2009 for the construction of the new bridge over the Umngot river at Dawki, the delay was due to the finalisation of the land boundary agreement between India and Bangladesh.

Dawki, a town in West Jaiñtia Hills district along the India-Bangladesh border, is one of the important trade routes between Bangladesh and the northeastern states.

The proposed bus service from Dhaka to Guwahati via Shillong is also passing through this highway. The Centre had in the past planned several transport corridors between India and Bangladesh via Dawki including setting up of an integrated checkpost.