Aizawl, Feb 28 (PTI) Union Minister Harsh Malhotra, who was on a three-day visit to Mizoram, on Friday inspected highway and bridge projects under the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) and state PWD, an official statement said here.

The minister visited the NHIDCL office in Aizawl where he discussed with officials the ongoing projects under the Centre's construction company, it said.

During his visit, Malhotra, the minister of state for road transport and highways, was informed that the NHIDCL has presently undertaken 33 road projects along six national highways in Mizoram, covering about 820 km at the cost of Rs 19,800 crore, the statement said.

The projects aim to promote the socio-economic growth of the state and fulfil strategic requirements along the Myanmar and Bangladesh borders.

NHIDCL officials told the minister that project monitoring units have been set up in Kolasib, Seling, Lunglei and Lawngtlai to ensure effective monitoring and supervision of work.

Malhotra also visited the site of the greenfield alignment of the upcoming four-lane of the Mualkhang-Sairang sector and the two-lane Aizawl bypass road on the National Highway-6 (NH 6).

The four-lane project is part of the Vairengte-Sairang road construction to enhance connectivity between Aizawl and Assam's Silchar town.

The work has already been awarded, and pre-construction activities are going on, officials said.

The Aizawl bypass project aims to reduce overcrowding of traffic in the state capital and enhance connectivity directly between Sairang near Aizawl and Seling in Saitual district, reducing the travel length by 30 km, they said.

The Aizawl bypass work has also been awarded and pre-construction activities are underway, they said.

The union minister also inspected the ongoing 90-metre steel-arch bridge project over the Tlawng river on NH-44A sanctioned by the ministry.

The construction is being carried out under the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) mode and is supervised by state PWD.

Malhotra urged the officials to complete the project on time and instructed them to personally report the completion status, assuring that he would return for the bridge's inauguration upon completion, according to officials.

During his three-day visit, Malhotra, who also holds the corporate affairs portfolio, visited an inspection and certification centre, a Rs 7.1-crore ongoing project under the road safety division of the road transport ministry at Hlimen on the southern outskirts of Aizawl.

He also conducted an aerial inspection of the already completed Seling-Dulte sector of NH 6 and the ongoing Keifang-Tuivai road project on NH 102B.

Malhotra also visited the Saitual district and inspected a hospital and a high school apart from meeting officials, village council leaders and NGO representatives.

He left for Delhi on Friday. PTI CORR BDC