NHAI eyeing 5,000-5,200 km of projects by the end of fiscal

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) plans to award 10-15 per cent more projects this year compared to FY16, said Yudhvir Singh Malik, Chairman of NHAI. Malik said he is looking at awarding closer to 5,000-5,200 kilometres of projects by the end of the fiscal year. In April 2016, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had announced an ambitious target of awarding 25,000 kilometres of road projects in FY17. Of this, 15,000 km would fall under NHAI and 10,000 km under the Ministry and National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL). Malik agreed that land acquisition posed the biggest challenge in achieving the target. To counter this roadblock in the future, he said, NHAI plans to avoid any project awards unless 80 per cent of the land is in possession and statutory clearances received. He said availability of funds is not an issue in achieving the target. Malik also said the compensation process to land owners is being streamlined, subsequent to which they are looking forward to achieve about 7-8 kilometres on a daily basis.