Jharkhand stands to get road and bridge infrastructure worth Rs 640 crore from the Centre’s road requirement plans (RRP). This will help to combat Naxalism by linking remote areas that serve as rebel hideouts.

Among the eight Maoist-hit states, Jharkhand will get 11 new roads, complete its pending ones on “mission mode” and will also get three new bridges. The ministry has given approval to all the state proposals.

The proposed roads include Hunterganj-Pandeypura-Pratappur in Chatra district; Goelkera-Saitba road in West Singhbhum; Kowali-Asta road in East Singhbhum; Kotam-Kumurgarh road in Gumla district; Chainpur-Ramkanda-Bhandaria road in Garhwa; Kunsua-Ludai-Gudri block road in West Singhbhum; Balumath-Murpa road in Latehar; Balumath-Herhanj-Panki road, again in Latehar and Palamau.

The three bridges will come up in Chatra, Palamau and Gumla districts. In addition, out of 24 road projects taken up in Jharkhand during 2010-11 under the scheme, work on seven-eight projects is pending.

In all, 7,294 km of roads in red zones will be constructed with an estimated cost of Rs 10,700 crore in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, the eight states which the RRP, now in phase-II, covers. Forty-eight bridges have been proposed.