Cabinet nod to toll road plans

State highways, major district roads to be developed under PPP

The State government in January this year had decided to upgrade 10,000 km of state highways and MDRs apart from 12,600 km of village roads under PPP model, as a part of phase one of its ambitious core road network project.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Shobha Karandlaje said the toll will not be applicable to existing roads. Around 200 roads would be developed or upgraded under the project. The toll rates have been fixed under four slabs - light private vehicles, light commercial vehicles, bus and truck and for heavy construction vehicles. The rates are different for two-lane and four lane roads. (see chart). The government had decided that the roads would be developed under various PPP models such as build operate, transfer; design build operate, transfer; and viability gap funding. Land acquisition and development would be undertaken by private entrepreneurs.

Loans from banks

The Cabinet also gave its approval for providing crop loans at three per cent interest to farmers through nationalised banks. Farmers who have availed loans from nationalised banks from April 1 this year can avail this benefit.

The State government has been advancing loans at four per cent interest (three percent from 2009-10) to farmers through cooperative institutions for the last two years now. The government, in its budget proposals this year, had announced that the scheme would be extended to all nationalised banks. Karandlaje said around six to seven lakh farmers are likely to benefit from the scheme.
DH News Service