High powered group set up to look into sharing utility infra

In order to decided on sharing of infrastructure for utilities like water pipes and telecom cables, a high-powered committee was constituted today at a meeting of PM-appointed Group of Infrastructure, headed by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
A high-powered committee has been formed, headed by telecom Secretary, and comprising Secretaries of road transport and highways, power and petroleum and member (Engineering), railways, an official said after the sixth meeting of the infrastructure group.
The committee will look into the modalities for sharing infrastructure for utilities like water pipes and telecom cables, he said.
Chaired by Gadkari -- the minister for road transport, highways, shipping, water resources, river development and Ganga Rejuvenation, the meeting also decided that these ministries would enter into a pact to the effect that they would not charge each other for setting up projects as the payment would be on government-to-government basis, the official said.

The meeting was attended by Railway and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal, Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha, Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan and Power Minister R K Singh among others.
"BSNL has been requested to improve its connection quality for the River Information System on National Waterways No 1 between Farakka and Patna as the quality at present is very poor," the official said.

The telecom ministry officials said they are in the process of upgrading it.
Officials said that Gadkari also asked Ministry of Environment and Forest to expedite clearances to 12 highway projects.
The projects are pending with various state governments.

A number of projects were reviewed at the meeting and it was found that the approvals to railway over-bridges were satisfactory but it was decided that specific timelines would be set for these approvals with strict adherence.