Government rides high on road and highway projects

The Dollar Business Bureau In a move towards development of road and highway infrastructure in the country, the Government of India is mulling to raise road projects worth over Rs 3 lakh crore this year and is also keen on more than doubling highway construction to 30 km per day. An information in this regard was said to have been given by Nitin Gadkari, Union Minster of Roads & Highways, Government of India, on Wednesday. The Minister further informed that the innovative funding plans are being mulled to raise over Rs 3 lakh crore, in order to give a fillip to the road sector of India. Stating that the pace of road construction was 2 km per day when the new government took charge, the Union Minister informed that today, the pace of construction is at the rate of 12 km per day, expected to reach a rate of 14 km per day by the end of May and the government is aiming to take the pace to a level of 30 km per day in the coming two years. The government will soon start Rs 6,000 crore Eastern By-pass project and work of the Rs 4,000-5,000 crore-worth 16-lane highway project connecting the heart of Delhi to Dasna in Uttar Pradesh will start in 3 months to ease traffic jams on NH-24, informed the Minister. Besides this, also on cards are the construction of expressways from Hyderabad to Bengaluru and Amritsar to Katra, added the Minister. The Minister further informed that the government is likely to give way for the projects worth Rs 3,00,00 crore through the Public-Private-Partnership, hybrid or Engineering, Procurement and Construction modes, over the coming next six months. Over generation of funds and provide financial assistance for more projects, the Ministry will be holding conference in the coming fifteen days period, for which the Chairpersons from all Banks, Prime Minister and the Finance Minister would be invited, the Minister added.    

May 20, 2015 | 7:13 pm IST.