Japan To Expand Rs 4,100cr Soft Loans For 5 Projects - Aug 06 , 2008

Japan has assured to extend soft loans totaling to more than Rs 4,100 crore for five projects, including the Chennai Metro project and Hyderabad Outer Ring Road project (phase II). The Japanese Government has assured almost Rs 870 crore for the Chennai Metro project, which will establish a mass rapid transport system of about 45 km in both the metro and elevated rail form. The Japanese Government has also assured about Rs 1,600 crore for the outer ring road project (Phase II) in Hyderabad which will be spread over 33 km in the north-east part of the outer ring road project. The other projects for which the Japanese Government has pledged loan comprise the Punjab biomass power plant which will see small-size power plants, which consume biomass as the fuel coming up in the state.

AP Annual Plan Estimated At Rs 43,203cr

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh on Feb 16, estimated the annual State Plan at Rs 43,203 crore, which is higher by Rs 13,185 crore over the previous year, reflecting an increase of over 32 per cent. Together with non-plan expenditure of Rs 51,885 crore, and Centrally sponsored schemes Rs 5,348 crore (up 81 per cent) and Plan Rs 43,203 crore (up 44 per cent), the total budget for 2008-2009 is up 24 per cent at Rs 1,00,436 crore. The State Finance Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, presenting the fifth consecutive State Budget, said that plan size is the highest among States in the country for the last two years 2006-2007 and 2007-2008. The State is likely to have revenue excess of Rs 709 crore in 2008-2009 as per budget estimates, which is about 0.2 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product. As per allocations, the irrigation sector has got Rs 16,500 crore followed by housing Rs. 5,850 crore and panchayat raj Rs 3,838 crore with allocations for various welfare measures. Significantly, the budget has given Rs 1,980 crore for rice subsidy scheme, which the Government expects to launch next fiscal.

Toll To Be Collected On Three Highways In A. P

Hyderabad: Road-users will have to shell down toll tax for using three important State highways once these are upgraded into four-lane as proposed by the Andhra Pradesh Government under a project taken up with private investment.

The three roads identified for immediate upgradation are Hyderabad-Ramagundam Rajiv Rahadari, Narketpalli-Addanki and Pootalapattu-Naidupet highways. No toll is presently collected for using these roads, which have only two lanes. A year after coming to power, the Rajasekhara Reddy Government scrapped toll collected on 16 State highways to avoid a burden on the travelling public. However, the Government on Wednesday, announced that toll would be collected for 20 years by contractors who will implement the Rs 2,000-crore project taken up to convert the roads.

Tenders for the project will be finalised shortly before grounding works in May-June. Minister for Roads & Buildings T. Jeevan Reddy and P. Rajagopal Reddy, MD, AP Road Development Corporation, told reporters here that the toll for these three roads would be 10 per cent lower than that levied on highways managed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).