The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) awarded 16 contracts for six/four laning of national highway (NH) sections totalling 209 km on the corridors on Friday.

With this, the job of awarding contracts for first stage of implementation on the Prime Minister's corridor is almost over with an exception of Guwahati bypass.

The estimated cost of these contracts is Rs 655 crore. Five contracts worth Rs 200 crore were awarded earlier.

According to sources, NHAI has funds to get construction work on all the 20 sections started but in order to complete the projects, it will need more funds from the Government.

L&T bagged the biggest contract of Rs 91 crore involving four laning of kilometre 476.15 to 500 of Dalkhola to Islampore sub-section 2 of NH 31 in West Bengal.

Progressive Construction baggedanother major project on the same highway worth Rs 73 crore which involves four laning of kilometre 447 to 470.

Another contract bagged by the same company is worth Rs 63 crore for four-laning of kilometre 410 to 419 and kilometre 470 to 476.15 of NH 31 in Bihar.

By bagging two major contracts, Progressive Construction is the only company to have got more than Rs 100 crore (i.e Rs 136 crore) worth of contracts.

In fact, Punj Lloyd and Progressive Construction are the only two companies to have bagged more than one contract. According to the bidding clauses no one company could bag more than three contracts.

Punj Lloyd bagged Rs 32-crore four laning of kilometre 11.38 to 21.8 of Lucknow-Kanpur section of NH-25 in Uttar Pradesh and Rs 24-crore four laning of kilometre 60 to 70 of Agra-Gwalior section of NH 3 in Madhya Pradesh.

Among other companies to have bagged contracts is Nagarajuna Construction Company which has won Rs 44-crore contract for six-laning of Delhi border to Samlakha section of NH 1in Haryana.