Nath revises 20km/day highway target to June

Road Transport Minister Kamal Nath today revised the ambitious target of achieving 20 km of highway construction per day to June, from the earlier set deadline of March.

"The target (of 20 km a day) will be achieved in June... We lost December and January due to dense fog; we are currently at 10 km per day," Nath told reporters here.

Soon after taking charge of the ministry last May, Nath had set March 2010 as the deadline for constructing 20 km of highways a day, inviting criticism from the Plan panel, which termed it as unachievable given the circumstances.

In a recent communication, the Planning Commission had advised the ministry to fix reasonable targets for roads and highways.

Meanwhile, India and Turkey have decided to set up a joint study group to explore cooperation in the road sector.

"We have decided to form a joint study group with Turkey to see where can we collaborate in terms of technology and best practices," Nath said after a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim, who is on an official visit.

Turkey could also collaborate in other infrastructure segments in the country like ports, airports and railways, Yildirim said.