India may miss target of developing 20 km a day

BANGALORE: India's ambitious target of developing 20 km a day seems to be an uphill task in the face financial, regulatory, execution, project planning and policy challenges faced by the segment, says Ernst & Young-FICCI report titled accelerating implementation of infrastructure projects.

As per the report, land acquisition is one such issue that requires immediate action for the objectives of the Twelfth Plan being achieved. "Around 70% of the build operate and transfer road projects are facing inordinate delays in implementation due to issues related to acquisition of land from the relevant authorities," the report stated.

There are around 78 projects delayed in road & transport sector followed by power with 47 and oil & gas with 31. "Apart from streamlining the land acquisition process through land acquisition and rehabilitation & resettlement bill, the government should also issue clear guidelines for sponsoring agencies on land acquisition," says the report.

Currently, country has a road network spanning 41.09 million km and ranks among the largest in the world. Although, India has a large road network, in comparison with other countries (142), it stands at a low rank of 85 in terms of the quality of its roads.

"The National Highways only constitute around 1.7% of the road network, but carry 40% of the total road traffic. Yet only 24% of the National Highways are four-lane and meet international standards," mentions the report.