New Delhi: The Union roads ministry has found initial estimates on highway construction for the financial year 2023 are missing targets by a wide margin for the second year in a row, Mint has reported.
While the yearly target was 12,200 km of roads, the cumulated distance of roads actually built is around 11,000 km, the paper reports. This is a marginal improvement upon the financial year 2023, when 10,457 km of highways were constructed against a target of 12,000 km.
The ministry had ordered a scrutiny as part of which the National Highway Authority of India has been asked to provide “all the data on highway construction and awards, including on construction that is nearing completion.”
One of the reasons for slow road building could be the economic downturn following COVID-19, said one of the insiders. Another is a prolonged monsoon.
In the latest Union Budget, the government had increased the outlay for the highways sector by about Rs 70,000 crore to Rs 2.70 lakh crore.
The report notes that data from the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corp Ltd, Indian Roads Construction Corp and Border Roads Organisation will also be studied to fill possible gaps in the 2023 estimates.
The report said that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways wants to be certain before it releases monthly data on road construction and awards. The data for March (meant to be released in the second week of the month that follows, i.e. April) has not been released yet.