MoRTH identifies 300 projects to be completed by March 2019

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) recently reviewed a total of 700 ongoing national highway projects across the country and has identified about 300 projects to be completed by March 2019. Of the total 700 projects across 20 states, 427 projects of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and 311 projects of National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited and the ministry were reviewed. Of these, 127 projects of NHAI and 153 projects of MoRTH, which were scheduled for completion by June 2019, have now been targeted for expedited completion by March 2019. In addition, there are about 100 projects that are going to be completed by December 2018. NHAI’s construction target for 2018-19 has been revised upwards from 5,058 km to 6,000 km. Delays in land acquisition and utility shifting, and obtaining environmental clearance and permission for cutting of trees have been identified as some of the main reasons for the delay in these projects. Meanwhile, the ministry has lauded the performance of states like Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh in sorting out these issues and helping expedite the highway projects. On the flip side, states like Bihar and Odisha need to improve their performance in this regard. Faulty detailed project reports (DPRs) have been found to be another reason for delays. Very often DPRs are made without taking actual ground realities into consideration. The ministry has decided to compile a list of projects that have been delayed for this reason. The consultants making faulty DPRs will be penalised and blacklisted.