Land acquisition, statutory clearances delay completion of 76 NH projects even after 4 years

NEW DELHI: Even four years after the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) bid out 76 NH projects costing around Rs 62,000 crore, none of them have reached completion due to delay in land acquisition, statutory clearances, utility shifting and cash flow issues of contractors and highway builders. Union highways minister Nitin Gadkari recently asked the officials to expedite the implementation of delayed projects and release dues to the contractors in time.

Reviewing a meeting on the progress of projects and working of the NHAI, Gadkari has directed the officials to be more “time sensitive” while taking decisions to avoid any delay, sources said. According to official data, the NHAI has set the target of June 2022 for completion of 87% of the above-mentioned delayed projects and the remaining 13 would take longer.