Justification for Locating the Project in Forest Land

Project Name - Consultancy Services for Preparation of DPR for Rehabilitation and Upgradation of Maheshkhunt – – Purnea Section of NH-107 in the State of On EPC Mode Package-I (Km 00+000 to Km 90+000) & Package-II (Km 90+000 to Km 177+960)

The National Highways Authority of (NHAI) has been entrusted with the work of preparation of DPR for rehabilitation and upgradation to 2-lane with paved shoulders configuration under NHDP Phase-IVB on BOT Mode of NH-107 under Consultancy Contract package no. DPR/BH/Phase- IVB/2010 singed on 13th June’2011 for augmentation of capacity for safe and efficient movement of traffic by upgrading to Two/Four Lane with paved shoulder configuration based on the traffic demand.

The complete project stretch is Starting Ch. 0+000 takes off from Ch. 287+248 of NH-31 near Maheshkhunt in Districts traversing through Districts of Saharsa & Madhepura terminates at existing Ch. 179+470 at Maranga Chowk meeting with NH-31 at Ch. 399+900 in Purnea town. NH- 57 and SH-60 are also converging in Purnea town nearby. The total existing length of project road is 179.470 km as per TOR. The existing alignment of the project is broadly straight expecting a few locations where geometrics need improvement and at some built up locations where bypasses / re- alignment has been considered. The project corridor forms one of the important arterial highways in the National Highway network of Bihar. The project road is located in northern-east part of Bihar state. The project road connects two district headquarters, Purnea and Beghusarai passing through Khagaria, Saharsa, Madhepura and Purnea districts.

Two packages for the procurement purposes are proposed. These are as below:

Package I: Design. Ch. 0.000 to Ch. 90.000

Package II: Design Ch. 90.000 to Ch. 177.960

There are existing 4 major intersections on project road with National highway / State highway / out of which 1 no is 4-legged, 1 no is T-junction and 2 nos. are Y junction. Besides these major junctions, existing 65 nos. are minor junctions which crosses roads from adjacent towns / villages are also observed. There are Proposed 6 Major Junctions & 27 Minor Junctions.

The total length of the project stretch selected for up-gradation is approx. 178 km in the district Khagaria, Sharsha, Madhepur & Purnia of State Bihar. The proposed widening requires diversion of 163.826 Ha. in Begusarai (33.636 Ha), Sharsha (57.085 Ha) & Purnia (73.105 Ha) forest division (Patarthi forest range). Therefore, the widening and realignment of this stretch requires forest clearance from Ministry of Environment, forest and climate change (GoI) as per forest conservation act 1980.

The diversion of forest area has been limited to the minimum diversion because mostly existing alignment has been followed that satisfies the National Highway standards. As the project road is not crossing any forest area, only widening of existing road requireing diversion of foreset lamd along the existing road.

GM(T)-cum- Project Director Natinal Highway Authority of India PIU Begusarai, Bihar