Work on proposed Agra ring road expedited

Lucknow, Oct 18 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh government Thursday finalised the bid documents to select a consultant for the proposed Agra inner ring road project, an official here said.

The inner ring road, aimed at ensuring better connectivity and smooth traffic within the city, will be developed on the public-private partnership (PPP) model.

The Consultancy Evaluation Committee (CEC) approved the request for qualification-cum-request for proposal (RFQ-cum-RFP) documents in a meeting, the official said.

The Agra Development Authority (ADA) made a presentation to the committee in this regard, the official added.

Now, bids will be invited from the category-1 consultants empanelled by the ministry of road transport & highways, who have experience of at least one successful completion of similar project. The bidding parameter will be lump-sum consultancy fee.

"After the Yamuna Expressway became functional, tourist influx into Agra has increased manifold. The proposed road will ease the traffic within the city and facilitate transportation of agricultural and industrial products to bigger markets," Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner (IIDC) Anil K. Gupta said.

"The ring road is proposed to be linked to the envisaged Agra-Lucknow expressway, thereby providing direct and smooth connectivity to Lucknow apart from Delhi, Jaipur, Gwalior, Kanpur and Aligarh," Gupta added.

IIDC directed the ADA officials to select a developer within six months. The Agra Development Authority is the nodal agency for implementation of the project.

Lal Bihari Pande, vice-chairman of ADA, said the selected consultant would be required to prepare inception report, detailed project report (DPR), techno-economic feasibility report and bid documents for the selection of developer.

The consultant would also be responsible for the bidding process and selection of developer.

Proposed to be 24.5-km long, the six-lane (extendable to eight) ring road is planned from Kuberpur on the Kanpur road (National Highway-2) to Rohta on the Gwalior road (NH-3).