Govt. takes up 14,974-km road widening

As many as 397 National Highways, projects involving an investment of Rs.1,29,704 crore and commanding a length of 14,974 km have recently been taken up for widening by the central government in states like Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chandigarh, and Delhi. The widening process included connecting districts, major cities and far flung places of the interior areas of the country, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways and Shipping, Shri Pon. Radhakrishnan said that there have been delays in some of these projects mainly due to problems in land acquisition, utility shifting, non-availability of soil or aggregates, poor performance of contractors, environment, forest or wildlife clearance, ROB & RUB issue with Railways. In this regard, regular meetings are being held with project developers, state governments, and contractors in headquarter as well as in Regional Offices to expedite completion of these projects. Alongside, various steps have also been taken which include streamlining of land acquisition & environment clearances, exit for equity investors, premium re-scheduling, close coordination with other ministries, revamping of dispute resolution mechanism, frequent reviews at various levels to speed up these projects, he added.