PANAJI: In a windfall for the state government that would amount to over 1,000 crore, the Centre has agreed to fund five major infrastructure projects in Goa that were earlier to be funded by the state.

The projects include four-lane Usgao-Khandepar bridge (240 crore), four-lane Dhavali bypass (50 crore), Nuvem-Dramapur western bypass (192.95 crore), 3.76km-long NH17-B link between Verna industrial estate and Angddi, Loutolim (220crore) and four-lane bypass from char rasta near Chaudi to Mashem, Canacona (265 crore). The last includes three bridges at Talpona, Galgibaga, and Mashem. The Centre had already agreed to pay for the new Zuari bridge estimated at 1,200 crore.

The Union ministry of road transport and highways has included these five projects in its annual plan for Goa. The state has to now prepare estimates and get approvals from the ministry before March-end this financial year, and then tender

the projects.

PWD minister Ramkrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar has already invited Union minister Nitin Gadkari to lay the foundation stone for the Usgao-Khandepar bridge at his convenience anytime between mid-March and mid-April.

All five projects were earlier cleared by the state government for execution. While the Goa state infrastructure development corporation (GSIDC) was to tender the Canacona bypass in November last year, PWD was to issue work orders for Usgao-Khandepar bridge in mid-December. The Goa works advisory board had also cleared the Dhavali bypass, western bypass, and link projects in mid-December for execution through PWD.

The state has already submitted the detailed project report (DPR) of the proposed Zuari bridge along with alignment to the ministry for approval. Once approved, the estimate will be prepared.

