Government is planning to lay 30 kms of roads per day in the next two years, up from the current level of 11 kms a day. Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has said that at present, 11 kms of road are being laid each day which is likely to go up to 15 kms by the end of March this year.
The Minister further stated that the government would come out with a new “model agreement” for road projects and now it has been decided that unless possession of land to the extent of at least 80 per cent for BOT and 90 per cent EPC projects is available, no project shall be awarded.
Highway minister also pointed that National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has been facing serious delays in project completion on account of various factors including land accquisition, environment and forest clearance. The ministry is currently working on restructuring the NHAI for greater transparency and faster decision making at the body.
The government is also planning to revive the proposal to build high speed roads in the country. The earlier proposal of executing expressways in the country could not move forward due to delays in land acquisition and construction of existing roads. Meanwhile, the government is also considering one time fund infusion to revive and physically complete some of the languishing projects being implemented on Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) mode of delivery only.