Government to award Rs 3L-crore highway contracts by May 2017: Nitin Gadkari

NEW DELHI: To further boost highways building, the government plans to award contracts worth Rs 3 lakh crore by May next year, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said today.

Also, on anvil is augmenting the National Highways length to 2 lakh km by August this year, he said.

The Road Transport and Highways Ministry has awarded contracts worth Rs 1.5 lakh in the last over one-and-a-half year.

"Creating a world class infrastructure in highways is the top priority of the government. We will sign highways contracts worth Rs 3 lakh crore between May 2016 and May 2016," Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister Gadkari said addressing an ICC conference here.

The highways building pace has reached 20 km a day at present from a mere 2 Km a day when the Narendra Modi government took over and by May it is likely to reach 30 km a day, the minister said.

"We have a road length of 52 lakh km in the country but unfortunately the length of our national highways which carry 40 per cent of the total road traffic. We have already declared 1.52 lakh km of national highways and take the length to 2 lakh km in next three months," Gadkari said.

By April-end, the minister said that there is a plan to convert all the toll plazas into electronic ones.

The minister said the government is committed to clear congestion and pollution of Delhi by 50 per cent in next two years by completion of Eastern and Western peripheral expressway for about Rs 15,000 crore.

Gadkari further said 300 truck terminals were planned besides highways.

Also, tenders have been issued for 1200 road-side amenities which apart from rest houses etc would include shops etc to sell local produce, eateries and other such joints.