Land acquistion hiccups delay Expressway Authority proposal

Land acquistion hurdles may delay the government's plans of setting up Expressway Authority of India on the lines of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for faster development of road sector.

The Road Ministry is of the view that the proposal to set up Expressway Authority of India (EAI) is "unrealistic" and should be reworked.

"Legal and constitutional aspects of acquistion of land need to be reworked.... It (proposal of EAI) is unrealistic," a road ministry official said.
    
After taking charge as Road and Highway Minister in June, 2009, Kamal Nath had said that the government would work towards setting up EAI, which would provide impetus to infrastructure development in India.
   
It would also aim at easing the burden of developing these expressways of NHAI.
    
He had said, with the target of developing 7,000 km roads annually, the government is looking at a quantum jump in the development of road infrastructure in the country.
    
Currently, NHAI is engaged in the task of building highways in the country and has plans to construct 35,000 km of highways in the next 4-5 years.
    
It has estimated an investment of about $70 billion for the construction of highways in the country of which $40 billion would come from the private sector.