NHAI’s Rs 6,000 crore projects delayed in Tamil Nadu: Centre

CHENNAI: The Union ministry of road transport and highways on Wednesday said nine national highway projects costing 6,137 crore were “delayed for a very long time” due to delay/non-granting of permission for extraction of borrow earth, Covid-19, acquisition of land, forest and environmental clearances, shifting of utility services, and slow progress of work by contractors.

In his reply to DMK MP K R N Rajeshkumar, Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari listed the projects stretching to 384km facing delays. These projects were awarded to contractors in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and originally scheduled to be completed within two years. For instance, four-laning of 43 km of Villukuri to Kanyakumari section of NH-47 and Nagercoil to Kavalkinaru section of NH-47B were awarded in July 2016.