Calcutta, July 12: The Mamata Banerjee government is set to 'accept the challenge' of widening an 84km stretch of NH34 after the National Highways Authority of India withdrew apparently because of issues such as encroachment and land acquisition.

The stretch that the government has decided to widen from two lanes to four is from Barasat in North 24-Parganas to Krishnagar in Nadia. The NHAI will, however, continue with its assignment of widening the remaining 342km of NH34, which connects Calcutta airport and Dalkhola in North Dinajpur.

While the project has progressed as planned between Krishnagar and Dalkhola over the past one year, only 0.5km of the Barasat-Krishnagar stretch could be widened.

The NHAI has cited slow progress to withdraw from widening the 84km stretch. State government sources, however, pointed to a host of hurdles such as land acquisition, the presence of encroachers on both sides of the road and poor financial health of the contractors chosen by the NHAI.

'Nitin Gadkari, the Union road and surface transport minister, has written to the chief minister, urging the state government to take over the portion of the project between Barasat and Krishnagar. The state government has decided to take up the challenge,' a senior Bengal government official said.

According to another official, the biggest challenge for the government would be to complete the land acquisition process by tackling resistance from encroachers on some parts of the stretch.

'Because of the resistance, the government could not hand over the required land to the NHAI. The project was started in 2012. It is encouraging that the government is ready to take up the challenge. It appears the chief minister is trying to send a message that she would go ahead with development projects despite problems created by encroachers,' another official said.

According to data available with the NHAI, 197.56 hectares will be required to widen the NH34 stretch between Barasat and Krishnagar. Around 178 hectares have been acquired so far. The remaining 20 hectares could not be acquired because of resistance from the encroachers.

In a recent order, the state government asked all departments to demarcate its land and erect fences, if required, to keep encroachers at bay. The chief minister is believed to have told officials during a meeting in Alipurduar in the last week of June that she would not tolerate encroachment hurdles to development projects, an official said.

'If the state government is prepared to take the onus of removing encroachment to clear the way for development projects, it is definitely a silver lining.... During the chief minister's first term, the Centre had called off the widening of NH35, which connects Barasat and Bongaon, and NH31D, which links Ghoshpara near Siliguri and Salsalabari near the Assam border, because of encroachment,' an official said.

The state government's decision to widen the 84km stretch is being considered significant for another reason. The state will have to take the initiative of completing the acquisition process.

'The government's hands-off land policy delayed road-widening projects in Bengal. But once the state government takes up the NH34 project, it would be its responsibility to complete the acquisition process,' a land department official said.

A minister said the government was 'hopeful' that it would be able to overcome the hurdles. 'If we can complete the widening of NH34, the economy of the state will change and it will send a message to investors,' the minister said.