Govt sets a month's deadline for NHAI to resolve delay issues

Peeved with the delays in highway projects in different parts of the country, the government today set a month's deadline for the National Highways Authority of India to resolve issues that were responsible for slow implementation

Peeved with the delays in highway projects in different parts of the country, the government today set a month's deadline for the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to resolve issues that were responsible for slow implementation.

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In a review meeting of NHAI projects in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Orissa, Transport Minister T R Baalu asked the highways authority and officials in his ministry to submit a report within the next one month.

The direction comes on the heels of NHAI drawing flak from the Planning Commission and Committee on Infrastructure headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for delayed execution of various national highway projects.

"In the project wise review, all aspect relating to project, including problems and constraints, being faced by the implementing agencies, contractors, concessionaires were discussed in details and directions were issued to the ministry official and NHAI to resolve these issues within a month and submit a report to the minister," an official statement said.

The minister also directed NHAI to complete the ongoing Golden Quadrilateral projects in West Bengal and Orissa by March 2009, it said.

The projects reviewed included World Bank aided 14 projects in Uttar Pradesh and 13 projects aided by Asian Development Bank in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

Baalu directed the Transport Secretary Brahm Dutt and NHAI Chairman Brijeshwar Singh to take up matters pertaining to delay in execution of projects due to land acquisition, forest clearance and shifting of utilities with concerned state governments in order to expedite implementation.