New Delhi: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Indian Government today signed multi-million dollar loan agreements for projects in 4 States – Assam, Maharashtra, Tripura and Tamil Nadu.
The loan agreements signed are as follows:
- $300 million loan to upgrade over 300 kilometres of state highways and major district roads (MDRs) in Assam;
- $350 million loan to improve the connectivity of key economic areas in the state of Maharashtra;
- $220 million loan to improve energy security, quality of supply, efficiency, and resilience of the power sector in Tripura;
- $350 million loan agreement to build new lines and improve the connectivity of the metro rail system in Chennai with the city’s existing public transport system.
In Assam, the roads to be upgraded under the project, including six road sections in the state’s western, central and southern regions, are connected to the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) corridors linking India with Bhutan and Bangladesh and are expected to boost cross-border trade and transport. The project will complement the multimodal logistics park being built in Jogighopa and another proposed in Silchar to serve road, rail, inland waterway, and air transport facilities.
The project will expand state highways and major district roads from single-lane to two-lanes and introduce new climate- and disaster-resilient structures. It will establish pedestrian and public transport facilities, elevate highways in flood-prone areas, and include landslide prevention structures in hilly and mountainous areas.
Community schools, water, health, and sanitation facilities, and heritage and tourism sites will be restored in affected indigenous peoples’ villages. To protect wildlife and habitats in project areas, viaduct structures will be constructed to avoid human–elephant conflict in the elephant habitats. In addition, community road users, drivers, motorcycle riders, schoolteachers, and students will be informed and trained on road safety.
In Maharashtra, at least 319 kilometres (km) of state highways and 149 km of district roads will be upgraded incorporating climate and disaster-resilient features to strengthen the state’s core road network in the 10 districts of Ahmednagar, Hingoli, Jalna, Kohalpur, Nagur, Nanded, Nashik, Pune, Sangli, and Satara. This will help connect underdeveloped rural communities with off-farm opportunities and markets, improve access to health and social services and improve agricultural value chains by reducing transport costs for small and medium-sized enterprises.
In addition, the ADB loan will help construct 5 km of major district roads connecting Nanded and neighbouring Telangana. The project will promote gender equality and social inclusion in highway programmes, schools, health, and social services and set up integrated service centres to provide basic sanitation, education, and other services. Skills training for enterprises led by poor women and disadvantaged groups will be conducted to provide livelihood opportunities. The project will demonstrate the private sector’s effectiveness in undertaking long-term road maintenance for greater life-cycle quality and operational efficiency. It will also develop a good practice handbook for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in road design and maintenance.
In Tripura, the ADB will fund the replacement of the Rokhia power plant with a highly efficient combined cycle gas turbine that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions through fuel saving, modernize the state’s power distribution network and build institutional capacity and overall business process of the project executing agencies.
In Tamil Nadu, besides expanding the metro network in Chennai, the ADB will facilitate better integration between inclusive urban renewal measures and urban mobility improvements through transit-oriented development (TOD).
The investment project supports the development of three new metro lines—3, 4, and 5. For Line 3, the project will construct 10.1 kilometres (km) of the elevated section between Sholinganallur to State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu-2, including 9 metro stations and system components. For line 4, the project will help construct 10 km of the underground section between Lighthouse and Meenakshi College including 9 stations. For line 5, it will finance 31 km of system components, such as electrical, mechanical, power, and telecommunication infrastructure, between Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus to Okkiyam Thoraipakkam. The stations will incorporate disaster- and climate-resilient features and will be responsive to the needs of the elderly, women, children, differently abled, and transgender people.
Multimodal interchanges and facilities will be established along metro rail corridors to improve commuters’ experience such as drop-off and pick-up areas, sheltered waiting areas, bicycle facilities, and passenger information. An additional $1 million ADB technical assistance (TA) grant will help the Chennai Metro Rail Limited with the planning and management of the metro system’s multimodal integration.
– global bihari bureau
