Port road connectivity project by year-end

Mangalore, September 6: The ambitious 37.47 km port road connectivity project between Surathkal and BC Road will be completed by the end of this year, nearly six years after the project commenced.

Though the sanctioned cost of the project was Rs.196.50 crore, the revised estimate has pegged the cost at Rs 340 crore, according to a reply given by the minister of state in the ministry of road transport and highways Jitin Prasada.

Mangalore MP Nalin Kumar Kateel had raised the question in the Lok Sabha. So far, Rs.232.44 crore has been spent on the project. Regarding the steps taken or proposed to be taken for expeditious and timely completion of the project, Prasad replied saying that the contractor has been instructed to complete all works by December 31, 2011.

He said this deadline has been agreed and confirmed by the contractor. On the quality of the works, Prasad said that the supervision of the construction work is being done as per the standards and specification of the Contract Agreement.

Team to tackle hijackings An Inter-Ministerial Group of Officers (IMGO) has been set up to deal with hostage situation arising out of the hijacking of merchant vessels with Indian crew on board, said minister of shipping G K Vasan in the Lok Sabha recently.

Replying to the query by Mangalore MP Nalin Kumar Kateel regarding the safety of the Indian crew in view of hijacking, Vasan said the owners and flag administration of the hijacked vessels have been contacted through Indian missions abroad to ensure that they take suitable steps for the safety and early release of the hostages.

The minister also said that the government has decided to issue guidelines for deployment of armed guards on Indian flag ships. He was replying to the query raised by Kateel on whether the government has decided to allow armed security guards on board Indian merchant vessels against the backdrop of recent piracy incidents.