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India, France sign MoU for road sector

Our Bureau

NEW DELHI, June 20

A MEMORANDUM of understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the field of highways between India and France was signed in Paris on Tuesday.

The MoU provides for cooperation in the field of management of privately-managed projects, including procedure for competitive bidding, supervision and implementation, further development of technical and operational standards, assessment of software and hardware requirement for operation and development of highway management systems and exploring possibility of bilateral aid for funding feasibility studies for new national highway projects, an official release said here.

The cooperation has two-fold objectives: to allow exchange of information between the Government officials and specialists of the highway departments of the two countries in the field of road techniques, finalisation and management of infrastructure conc essions and to promote and develop relations between enterprises (consultancy and engineering companies in the field of roads, manufacturers of equipment, material and consumable products for the sector) with the purpose of arriving at industrial coopera tion agreement and transfer of technology.

The MoU was signed in the presence of the visiting Indian Minister of Surface Transport, Mr. Rajnath Singh, and the French Minister of Public Works, Transport, Housing and Tourism, Mr. Jean Claude Gayssot.

Mr. Prafulla Kumar, Director-General (Road Development) in the Ministry of Surface Transport, signed the MoU on behalf of the Government of India.

The MoU follows a `Protocol of Intent' signed between the two countries in January 1999.

Mr. Singh, who is currently on a visit to France, held discussions with Mr. Gayssot in Paris on Tuesday and discussed various issues of mutual interest for the two countries.

During his stay in France, Mr. Singh will also familiarise himself with the privatisation of roads, building of expressways, technologies for toll collection and the functioning of ports.