Imphal Ring Road will be a huge asset, says PWD CE

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Feb 24: The Imphal Ring Road which would reduce chances of road accidents to the minimum would be constructed at the international standard, and it is expected to boost the State’s economy, said PWD Chief Engineer (External Aided Projects and Project Director, Asian Development Bank) Y Joykumar.
Speaking to media persons at Hotel Classic Gran- de, Chingmeirong today, Y Joykumar said that the global economic growth inclu- ding that of India achieved a new trajectory starting from 2005-2006 and it attained greater momentum since 2014. This was followed by India’s Act East Policy.
Imphal city’s traffic volume increased by 100 per cent since 2014 as compared to the global annual growth rate of 10 per cent, the Chief Engineer said.
In the meantime, the Government of India devised a plan for expansion of class-B cities. As per the same policy, Imphal city too is in line for expansion and city expansion work has already begun, Joykumar said.
At the same time, World Bank, International Monetary Fund and Asian Development Bank took up a number of projects in the State. Considering all these changes and developments, Imphal Ring Road was conceptualised in 2013, he said.
Unlike most cities of South East Asian countries, Imphal city is not a planned city.
Even though the volume of traffic has doubled, roads cannot be expanded at the same rate. As a result, it takes a lot time for one to travel on the roads of Imphal city.
At times, it takes almost half an hour for one to travel just 3 Kms. People often get stuck at traffic junctions, Joykumar said.    
Such traffic congestions and delays reduce the productivity of citizens.
Considering the rising volume of traffic, Aegis International carried out a study at six traffic junctions of Imphal city including Keishampat, Khongnang Ani Karak, Singjamei and Nityaipat Chuthek in 2015 under the sponsorship of World Bank.
As per the study’s report, the State lost Rs 140 crore annually due to 'idleness' of travellers at the six particular traffic junctions. It said that improvement of the six traffic junctions can save Rs 140 crore.
The PWD Chief Minister said that best safety measures would be incorporated in the proposed Imphal Ring Road and it would be constructed in such a manner that it poses little or no hurdles to the public.
Culverts of two metre span would be precast. Such methodology would avoid disturbances to the public which otherwise would be there for at least one or two years.
Imphal Ring Road would be in sync with the greater Imphal’s master plan ‘Vision 2042’, he said.
Once the Imphal Ring Road project is completed, flow of traffic would get accelerated, vehicle operating cost would decline and thus it would greatly contribute to the State’s economy, he said.
Moreover, it would also lead to introduction of a public transport system which would be far less costly. This transport system would be operated under public-private partnership model, Joykumar said.
The new public transport system is likely to be introduced around 2026. This project is aligned to the global initiative to reduce green house gas emission and foster adaptation to climate change, he said.
The project is the first project in the whole world aligned to the Paris Climate Change Agreement, he said.
This project would bring about ease of living and value addition which may in turn attract international investors to Imphal city.
Once investments come in, there will be employment and economic growth, he said.
Giving a glimpse of Imphal Ring Road which would be 30 feet wide and 51 Kms long, the PWD Chief Engineer said that around 40 Kms would have footpath and the entire length of the road would be illuminated by solar street lamps.
Noise barriers would be constructed at different points, he said.
As a part of the project,  community ponds would be renovated and their waters would be made fit for human consumption/use. Other community ponds would also be renovated for water harvesting.
Rejuvenation of Ipum Pat is also a part of the project. There is no question of destroying Ipum Pat, he said.
If any one is affected by the project or if any one wishes to raise complaints, the same may be forwarded to LEEL GRC.
If no response is forthcoming within a week, the same complaints may be raised with the State GRC. If the State level GRC cannot provide reply, the matter would be raised at the level of ADB, he said.
The total cost of the project is Rs 1760 crore including civil cost of Rs 734.71 crore and Rs 447.28 crore for environment mitigation and climate change adaptation, Rs 17.62 crore for promotion of green public transport system, Rs 182.83 crore for social safeguard and gender equality & social inclusion, Rs 186.5 crore for Central tax, Rs 183.45 crore for technical assistance of ADB for climate change adaptation, road safety, urban transport and land value capture and Rs 183.45 crore for others.
Of the total cost of Rs 1760 crore, Rs 1383 crore must be repaid.
While the Government of India must repay Rs 1245 crore, the State Government must repay Rs 138 crore, Joykumar said.
The State’s share of Rs 138 crore must be repaid within a period of 25 years and its interest would be borne by the Government of India, he said.
He informed that letters of acceptance have been given to two contractors for construction of Imphal Ring Road.