Environmental clearances, land issues impacting road sector: Ministry

NEW DELHI: Delay in environmental clearances and land acquisition issues are proving to be bottlenecks in the smooth construction of highways in the country, Parliament was informed today.
"The pace of progress of development of National Highways has slowed down due to various problems such as delay in land acquisition, shifting of utilities, environmental and forest clearances," Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Sarvey Sathyanarayana said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.

He added that approval for rail over bridges as well as shortage of skilled and semi-skilled manpower and economic slowdown are also among some of the roadblocks.

"In order to expedite implementation of the projects, Regional Offices have been set up by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)," he said.

These offices work towards expediting forest, environmental clearances and monitor land acquisition matters as well as implementation of projects. Special Land Acquisition units have also been set up to expedite land acquisition.

The development and maintenance of National Highways is a continuous process. Periodic assessment of the condition of the highways is carried out by the executive agencies for taking up remedial measures keeping in view the type and extent of damages.

"The allocation of funds for maintenance and repair of highways is made state and union territory wise and not national highway," he added.

Recently, many private companies have cancelled their contracts with NHAI due to delay in clearances.

Meanwhile, he also said that the Ministry is primarily responsible for development and maintenance of National Highways and review of standards, specifications, codes and guidelines is a continuous process.

The total estimated investment target for Central Sector Roads and Transport during 12th Five Year Plan is close to Rs 4 lakh crore.