PMO moves to remove hurdles in path of highway projects flagged off by Modi

NEW DELHI: The prime minister’s office (PMO) has given a strong push to remove roadblocks in the construction of 18 highway stretches in Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra for which PM Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stones.

Lack of encumbrance free land, below par performance by contractors and shortage of aggregate, have been identified as major reasons for slow progress in some of these projects.

In a recent review by the PMO, it was found that in one case - Patna-Koilwar section of NH-30 - the refusal of Bihar government to share land acquisition cost has forced the Centre to go for foreclosure of the contract that was awarded to a private player. The 32 km stretch was widened to four lanes and it was to be undertaken with 100% government funding.

Similarly, in two other sections in Bihar, 40-43% of the required land is yet to be acquired even as work has started. In the case of four-laning of Patna-Gaya-Dobhi section of NH-83 in Bihar, progress is less than 10% even three years after the work was awarded. This project was bagged by IL&FS Engineering and Construction Company in April 2015. The reasons for the slow progress are non-availability of land and a large number of arbitration cases and there is a problem from the contractor’s side as well. it’s no different in other projects in Bihar, which are part of the PM’s packages where tardy progress has become a cause of concern.

“Land acquisition is a big roadblock in Bihar due to legal conditions prevailing in the state with regard to the land acquisition process. Both the Centre and state governments are now working to find a way out since no road can be expanded unless getting the required land,” said a central government official.

The land issue is also responsible for the slow progress in the case of the 7-km long Pardi flyover project in Nagpur where five hectares of land is yet to be provided for the project.

Sources said the PMO has put more focus on the progress of Mumbai JNPT road connectivity project which started in May 2016 and the ongoing works on three packages of Delhi-Meerut Expressway project in the National Capital Region. Though the progress on the second package of this crucial stretch, which involves 14-laning of the 19-km corridor from Delhi Border to Dasna, is only 24%, NHAI officials claimed that they would complete the work before the next general election.