Private parties not interested to build roads in Bengal

The Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal is nearing the end of its 5-year-term and, due to various constraints imposed by her and her party, the extent of development in the state is far removed from what she would have liked to see and be proud of. One of these is the lack of interest shown by private players in the plan of widening 3,000-Km of state highways.
The private players are expected to build major highways across the country, widen and maintain them through the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model.
Unfortunately, the private players are not finding this to be attractive in Bengal because of the lack of industries, unavailability of land and alleged interference by a section of Trinamul leaders in the collection of toll. This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 12 November 2015.

This has forced the Bengal government to hire a consultant to find out if private players were interested in widening roads under the BOT model and suggest a toll policy for state highways and, the consultancy firm has reported that a significant majority of private companies would like to have a fixed annual return from the government instead of recovery of investments through the collection of toll.
The expected returns should be around 16 to 18 per cent annually.
Incidentally, the governments in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh have successfully adopted the BOT model. In Gujarat, more than Rs 3,000 crore has been spent to widen 650-Km of state highways in the past three years under the model while in Uttar Pradesh, more than Rs 4,000 crore was spent to develop around 500-Km of state highways during the same period.
The fact remains that in the absence of industries, road widening will have to take a back seat.

(Image source wikimediacommons.org)

Moody wants ODIs in Silicon Valley (satire)

Fight fire with fire - have ‘Award Return Festivals’(satire)

Moody in the mute mood (satire)


Mad rush for tourists stranded in Egypt to return home

Study reveals that online shopping is good for health

Inmates use mouse to carry drugs between cells in Brazil prison


Amitabh Bachchan to inaugurate 21st edition of Kolkata Film Festival

Sandra Bullock planning an all-female version of Ocean's Eleven

Horror Museum in Colorado could be a money spinner


Bomb in Airbus A321 responsible for Sinai Peninsula crash and 224 deaths

Two Russian TU-142 Bear aircraft shooed off from USS Ronald Reagan

Iran has already executed 700 this year and the figure could cross 1000 by year end