Agartala, Nov. 10: Union minister for road, surface transport and highways Oscar Fernandes today laid the foundation stone of the 65km extension of National Highway 44 from Udaipur to Sabroom in Tripura.

He also promised to look into the state’s demand for an alternative national highway from Sabroom to Kukithal in Dharmanagar subdivision of North Tripura district while taking up the second phase of road and transport development work in the Northeast.

Interacting with the media in the state guest house minutes before his departure for New Delhi, Fernandes said he earlier had a meeting in Guwahati to take stock of the road infrastructure position in the Northeast and it was decided to upgrade the road infrastructure on a priority basis in the region.

He also referred to his meeting with Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar in Delhi and said the issues pertaining to road transport system in Tripura had been discussed at length.

He added that he had been informed by the chief minister that the land required for launching the alternative or second national highway was already in the hands of the state government and there would be no problem.

On road connectivity with Bangladesh, he said its government would allow India access to Chittagong port through roads.

“The Union commerce ministry is financing a 70km road from Sabroom to Chittagong town and once this is completed the road connectivity with Bangladesh would be in place,” the minister said.

Fernandes said the Tripura government was upset by the inordinate delay of the BRO in executing projects and wanted to be handed over the task of maintaining NH44.

“We have agreed to this and from April next year the state PWD would be handed over the task of maintaining the national highway.”

Earlier, Fernandes, accompanied by his wife, was accorded a warm reception at Agartala airport by finance and PWD minister Badal Chowdhury.