Hyderabad, July 22: The Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (Huda) is planning to go for another round of land acquisition. This time it is for the radial roads project, which connects the Inner Ring Road with the Outer Ring Road. Several residential, commercial and defence properties will be acquired for widening the three radial roads. These include the road from Rethi Bowli to AP Police Academy, Langar Houz to Gandipet and Biramalguda to Manneguda.

The World Bank has approved the Orissa State Road Project (OSRP) following a protracted negotiation with senior officials of the state government.

The $250-million assistance will support improvement of 461 km of state arterial roads and bridges in two phases.

In the first phase of the project, 204 km will be taken up and in the second phase, a 257-km road will be developed.

A formal agreement for the loan assistance was signed last week in Washington, official sources said here on Monday.

It's not the NH-60 for which people residing in northern region of Balasore have to face flood fury time and again, but the bridges on the NH, which have proved more a bane than a boon for people.

Pune, July 20 The Indian Society of Lighting Engineers (ISLE) in association with MIT Lighting Research Academy and CIRT. held a national workshop on street Lighting at CIRT Bhosari
The workshop was held to discuss various aspects of street lighting and suggest effective solutions for the benefit of the public at large.

Gunjan Pradhan Sinha NEW DELHI

LONG drives would be a taxing exercise soon. The government is planning to develop all future highways through build, operate and transfer (BOT) model that would necessarily have toll component. Private companies would be awarded road projects on BOT basis and they would charge a toll fee from commuters to recover their investments. About 50,000 km of roads are expected to be developed under various phases of the National Highway Development Programme (NHDP) including new expressways, rail-overbridges, canal bridges, roads and highways.

The government is to borrow additional funds from the World Bank for several several development projects, a minister said.

Cabinet approved finance agreements with the IDA branch of the World Bank to get additional funding for the North East Housing Reconstruction Project (SDR 26.2 million), for the Road Sector Assistance Project (SDR 59.6 million) and for the Education Sector Development Project (SDR 6.1 million).

Damage of many roads during heavy monsoon showers of the past few days has left the capital's road infrastructure in a shabby state, causing problems to vehicular movement and sufferings to the people.
The condition of the roads in Uttara, Dhanmondi, Dakkhin Khan, Mohammadpur and some other areas are in a vulnerable state with potholes developing at many points, residents said.

Director of Planning and Implementation in Matale District P. Hewapathirana said under the national plan of Gama Neguma programme 204 projects were launched in 204 Grama Niladhari Divisions in Matale district during the year 2007.

In the first step 148 projects were started and in the second step 56 projects.

In this project, dilapidated roads, public buildings community hall and water supply schemes were repaired.

Government has allocated Rs. 158 million for setting up of rural development projects.

The World Bank said yesterday that it approved a credit of US$ 98 million from its concessionary lending arm, International Development Association (IDA) in additional finance to support the Sri Lankan government's efforts to improve its national highways, designed to lower transportation costs and travel times.

The additional finance will be mostly used to cover cost-overruns mainly due to the unprecedented oil price increase in the world market that has led to the escalation of prices in oil-based materials, a press release from WB said.

For small-town India to become big, it will have to boast that it doesn't want to be another Shanghai.