Nearly 50 percent of major infrastructure projects delayed

New Delhi, April 26 (IANS) Nearly half of the 566 major infrastructure projects are delayed due to environmental clearances and other reasons, Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation Srikant Kumar Jena said Friday.

As on Jan 1, 2013, of a total of 566 projects, 276 projects were delayed with respect to their original dates of commissioning. The estimated cost of each of these projects are above Rs.150 crore.

"In these 276 projects, delay in clearances relating to environment and forest were reported by the project implementing agencies in 43 projects - 8 in Railways sector, 10 in coal sector, 15 in road transport and highways, 2 in petroleum sector and 8 in power sector," Jena said in written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

The minister said the government had taken several steps to ensure timely completion of projects.

The initiatives include rigorous project appraisal, computerised monitoring system, setting up of standing committees in the ministries for fixation of responsibility for time and cost overruns, regular review of the infrastructure projects by the concerned administrative ministries and setting up of Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI) to review and monitor the implementation of major projects.