Projects worth Rs 2,00,000 crore to be awarded in 2 yrs: Nath

Road Transport and Highways Minister Kamal Nath today said road projects worth Rs 2,00,000 crore would be awarded in the next 2 years.     

"We are going to award Rs 1,00,000 crore of projects this year and Rs 1,00,000 crore next year," Nath said while speaking at a seminar organised by industry chamber FICCI.     

He said that roads are an important part of infrastructure development in the country as they provide domestic economic stimulus. "Roads are vehicles of all inclusive growth as they support agriculture, trade and industry," Nath added.

Nath said he is now going to expedite the process of roads and highways development by building capacity of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).     

He said in the current fiscal, more road would be constructed than in the 1999-2004 period when the project of golden quadrilateral and other highways work was first conceived.     

"I am going to build more roads in the current year than what was constructed during 1999-2004 when these projects were first conceived," Nath said.     

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Road Transport and Highways Secretary Brahm Dutt said his Ministry is targeting bidding out projects for 17,500 kms of roads and highways.     

"NHAI will bid out 12,000 kms while the Ministry is targeting another 5,500 kms to be bid out this year which falls under the purview of the states," Dutt said. Out of the 5,500 kms, at least 3,000 kms would be given out to private concessionaires, he added. 

Phase-IV of the National Highways Development Project, the flagship programme of the government to build roads and highways in the country, does not fall under the purview of the NHAI.     

Projects in phase-IV are given out by the Transport Ministry in association with States under the State Support Agreement signed with them.    

NHAI Chairman Brijeshwar Singh, speaking on the sidelines, said that the Authority would hire 400 people in the next 18 months to deal with the manpower crunch faced by it.