The West Bengal government has announced two road projects in North Bengal that will connect three South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries with each other i.e. Bangladesh with Nepal and Bhutan.

The total cost of the project will be Rs 1,434 crore and will be funded by the Asian Development Bank.

Work on the first road project i.e. on Asian Highway 2 will commence from Panitanki at Nepal border and crossing Bagdogra will reach Fulbari at Bangladesh border. The total cost of this road project is estimated at Rs 602 crore.

The second road project on Asian Highway 48, which will start from Joygaon near Bhutan border and end at Changrabandha bordering Bangladesh, will be developed at an estimated cost of Rs 832 crore.

The above highway projects will be constructed by National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) along with West Bengal Public Works Department (PWD), Department of Urban Development, and the Department of North Bengal Development.

Apart from this, the state PWD has already submitted files related to the project before the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) for getting the requisite approvals for the project.

Taking into consideration matters related to land, the PWD is awaiting clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) for a two km stretch along the Jaldapara wildlife sanctuary.