SILCHAR

Construction of National Highway Development Project (NHDP) could come to a halt in three months if adequate steps are not taken by the government to address problems caused by the rising prices of inputs like steel and cement, the highway builders warned. "In three months, if nothing is done National Highway Builders Federation (NHBF) will have to stop construction work,' said coordinator of NHBF V C Verma after a meeting of the federation members with PM Manmohan Singh on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has underlined the need for accelerating development of the North Eastern Region and assured a delegation from Meghalaya that the Centre would support all round development of the State. The Prime Minister expressed this view when Meghalaya Chief Minister Donkupar Roy, Deputy Chief Minister Timothy D Shira along with former Lok Sabha Speaker and now chairman of State Planning Board Purno A Sangma called on him in New Delhi yesterday, an official release said here today.

Political parties in Karnataka are still waiting to kickstart their campaigns for the Assembly elections next month but one person, though he is not in the electoral fray, has been campaigning with such gusto that even the Election Commission has begun taking note.

SANJAY GUBBI Conservation activist A highway through Nagarahole National Park threatens wildlife

Public Works and Revenue Minister Thakur Gulab Singh today said a sum of Rs 10.25 crore would be spent on the widening and construction of drains, a bridge and tarring of 38-kilometre of the National Highway between Kullu and Manali. Accompanied by local MLA Govind Singh Thakur and Deputy Speaker Khimi Ram Sharma, Gulab Singh was addressing mediapersons here at the Circuit House. The Minister said an additional budget of Rs 4.6 crore has been sanctioned for the periodical renovation of the stretch of NH-21 right from Bhuntar up to Manali.

Five years after MPs protested against the viability of laying telecom ducts along national highways and got the project shelved, the National Highways Authority of India has revived the plan.

Land acquisition problems are threatening another project in West Bengal.

The widening and strengthening of the Gurgaon-Alwar and Hodal-Nuh-Pataudi Patauda roads have been approved under the National Capital Region (NCR) scheme in order to create a sound network of roads in

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has presented a budget of Rs 6,643 crore for 2008-09 to implement a series of infrastructure projects.