Meet on expressways today

The government having set up an infrastructure committee with emphasis on roads and airports and the recent announcement by Prime Minister for a north-south and east-west corridorof expressways covering 7,000 kms, the conference is to be a sounding board for private investment in the roads sector, he said. Thambi Durai said the government has already identified 20 points along which the expressway is to be built and Vajpayee would be inaugurating expressway project in Bangalore on Jan 2 linking that city to Hosur.

The National Highway Authority of India has already taken up for execution several projects, he informed.On the funds for the construction of expressways and highways, he said a dedicated fund would be set up from the Central Road Fund which would be getting five per cent cess levied on petrol and diesel and in case the suggestion of levying tax on spare parts is cleared by finance ministry, this would be seed money for the highway projects. An amount of Rs 700 crore is expected from these levies.