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| Draft proposal for Expressways body in 2 weeks: Nath |
| Press Trust of India / New Delhi Oct 26, 2009, 14:15 IST |
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Road Transport Ministry is expediting the setting up of Expressways Authority of India and plans to put up the draft proposal in the next two weeks to invite comments for setting up the authority.
"We will put up the draft proposal for the Expressways Authority on our website in the next two weeks," Transport Minister Kamal Nath told PTI.
The Expressways Authority of India would look exclusively at the requirements of building expressways, which are roads that facilitate faster traffic flow between two places.
He also said the target of achieving 20 km of road construction a day would be reached by March next year. Soon after taking charge of the Ministry in May, Nath had set a target of building 20 kms of highways every day.
For constructing 20 kms of highways a day, the work in progress across the country should be at least 20,000 kms, he said.
When asked if the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided on the Ministry's proposal to vest the ownership of highways with it, Nath said, "NHAI is talking to financial institutions to see what gives them comfort".
The Ministry had sent a proposal to NHAI asking for its approval to vest with it the ownership of highways so that the authority can give highway projects to developers on long term lease who will be able to raise loans easily against the lease.
Currently, highways belong to the government of India and NHAI gives only licenses to private companies for developmental work and these companies cannot provide such highways as security for availing loans on easy terms.
In July, Nath had said since the requirements for contracting expressways was different from highways, he would set up the Expressways Authority of India and would also involve state governments and private sector in the development.
"Expressways have to be looked at separately. So we are looking at setting up an Expressways Authority on the same lines as NHAI. This will provide impetus to those areas where expressways are required and we are looking at ways to partner state governments as well as the private sector," he had said.
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