Highway ministry likely to respond to CAG concerns on Expressway costs

Amid severe political backlash, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is likely to respond to the conclusions made by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and allay the auditor’s concerns about unrealistic cost escalations in the Dwarka Expressway project, among other possible lapses, a top ministry official said on Wednesday.

The CAG, in its report on the implementation of Bharatmala Pariyojana, found that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) board approved the Dwarka Expressway with “civil cost of Rs 7,287.29 crore with per km Rs 250.77 crore as against per kilometre (km) civil cost of Rs 18.2 crore approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)”.