Clearing roadblocks: Ministry's final push to rescue 14 highway projects

The ministry said some of the highway projects were delayed over the issue of road over-bridges and road under-bridges with the Indian Railways

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, in a last-ditch attempt, has come up with another mechanism for saving the 14 remaining projects, though with riders.

The ministry may adopt a risk-and-cost approach or model by which the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will take over the highway projects where 60-70 per cent of construction work is complete.

It would then construct the project and recover some cost from the annuity and, being the road developer, the government would have the first right on annuity, an official in the know said. The concessionaire will also pay a 20 per