Delayed decisions 'totally unacceptable', fast-track road construction: Gadkari to NHAI officials

Asserting that delayed decisions are "totally unacceptable", Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday urged NHAI officials to fast-track highways construction through faster decision making.

Road Transport, Highways and MSME Minister Gadkari was addressing regional officers of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) through video conferencing.

Re-emphasising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stress on the need for fast growth of infrastructure, Gadkari said that there is an urgent need to develop a positive, transparent, corruption free working system with time bound decision making, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said in a statement.

"Delayed decisions are totally unacceptable as they lead to colossal loss of time and resources and add to the woes of people," the minister told officials.

Directing regional officers to be proactive in coordinating with district officials to fast track land acquisition and other such issues, he urged officials to speed up the implementation of projects through faster decision making and stricter monitoring.

Gadkari, along with the Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways V K Singh, held a day-long review of the progress of national highways projects at the NHAI headquarters here today.

He also underlined the need to bring down construction costs through new technology and innovative means.

He said there is enough availability of funds for construction of national highways through various sources including long-term funding from banks.

However, in order to improve the economic viability of projects it is necessary to cut down construction costs by employing new materials, innovative technology, and by fast tracking decision making to avoid associated cost escalation, he was quoted as saying.

Gadkari also stressed upon the need for performance audit and said that officials must ensure that the award and construction targets for the year are fully met.

Gadkari also inaugurated NHAI's GIS based Plantation Monitoring System that assigns a unique digital address to each sapling planted on a national highway, making it possible to monitor its progress.

The minister also inaugurated NHAI's online Toll Remittance Management System today.