Nitin Gadkari flags poor quality of DPRs of road projects as major problem

Union Road Transport Minister said that bad quality of Detailed Project Reports leads to a host of problems including cost escalation in road projects

Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Friday that the bad quality of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) leads to a host of problems including cost escalation in road projects, and he was in the "mood to take a decision to allow international firms to make them." He was speaking at the International Conference on Asian Scenario on Infrastructural Development here.

There is a need to reduce the cost of production in road projects, he said. Expressing disappointment over the quality of DPRs in road construction, the minister said he has "never seen a perfect DPR" in his life. The construction industry should work on improving the DPR quality, he said. "I am in the mood to take a decision to allow international companies to make DPRs and giving them priority, though I am not of that opinion, but because of not so good DPRs, lot of problems are being faced. Everywhere there is cost escalation," Gadkari said. He also said that agriculture by-products and biomass should be utilised in construction work.