PremiumNEW DELHI :
Union Minister for Road, Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday reviewed the progress of National Highway projects in Assam, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Nagaland.
“The review is a part of the three-day review program of National Highway projects in the North East Region and Sikkim," said the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways in a press release.
During the review, discussions related to land acquisition issues, progress of ongoing projects, proposed projects, use of new technologies, disputes & arbitration and possible financial interventions were discussed at length.
The minister also reviewed the delayed projects in the 4 States to understand the reasons for delay and issued specific instructions to get them on track.
Gadkari directed all officials for the speedy completion of projects. “The coordination and partnership between Central and State agencies is important to develop top-class transport infrastructure in North Eastern States."
The union road minister on Tuesday had said that his target is to construct 60 kilometers of highways per day. “We are constructing 40 kilometers of highways per day, our target is to construct 60 kilometers of highways per day," he said.
In 2021-22, the pace of National Highway (NH) construction in the country had touched a record 37 kilometers per day, but it slowed to 28.64 kilometers a day due to pandemic-related disruptions and a longer-than-usual monsoon in some parts of the country.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) are primarily responsible for the construction of national highways and expressways across the country.
The official target of highway construction is kept at 12,000 kilometers for the current financial year. The ministry constructed 10,237 kilometers in 2019-20, 13,327 kilometers in 2020-21, and 10,457 kilometers in 2021-22.