First time ever in Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal recently launched, in Una district, an ambitious Rs 1,365.43 crore state road project under which 435-km long state highways and major district roads will be upgraded and 2,000-km long roads will be maintained periodically.
What is significant about this road project is that the HP government has awarded the entire road construction and upgradation contract to a Chinese construction firm -- for the first time ever in the hilly state. The name of the Chinese company has not been disclosed.
Addressing a public meeting at Una, the chief minister said that the Chinese company would complete the state road project by 2012. The project will be implemented in four phases. Dhumal said that his government was grateful to the World Bank for its financial support which helped launch the road project.
State PWD Minister Gulab Singh Thakur said that the mega road project would herald global standard road construction works in the state. He mentioned that efforts were afoot to connect villages with a population of 250 with motorable roads by 2012 while villages with population of up to 500 would be connected by 2009.
Regarding other infrastructure projects in the state, Dhumal said that his government was according priority to completing the Nangal-Talwara railway line work.