NHAI may close delayed GQ projects

The Golden Quadrilateral project to connect Delhi, Mumbai...

The Golden Quadrilateral GQ project to connect Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata with 5,846 km-long four-laned national highways, once known as the 8216;showpiece8217; project for its implementing agency, National Highways Authority of India NHAI, is fast becoming an embarrassment. Dogged by unending delays, the GQ is running far behind its schedule and the NHAI now plans to propose to its high-powered board to close all lingering GQ project by June 2008, if work on them is not completed.

8220;There is a definite slowdown on GQ projects and very soon a proposal will be moved to the board to take strict action against contractors on the delayed sections. The plan is to close all lingering projects by June next year if they are not completed by then. There are some 15 projects on GQ that are delayed and these are spread across 230 kms, creating uncomfortable two-lane pockets across largely four-laned highways,8221; said a senior official from the Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport 038; Highways.

8220;While projects which were recently terminated and re-awarded will drag on quite longer and will push back 100 completion of GQ to another two years or so, we want to fold up existing projects that are heavily delayed and hence, this decision to take the issue to the board,8221; added the official.

The NHAI board has the organisation8217;s chairman and technical/ administrative members as its full-time members and Member Secretary Planning Commission, Secretary Finance Ministry and Secretary Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport 038; Highways as part-time members.

The 25 projects in the red include those which were cancelled and then re-awarded about one-and-a-half years back. In its latest monthly progress report, NHAI has listed 22 projects along GQ that should have been completed by now but are still pending. Seven contracts have been terminated along the corridor earlier. Work is underway across 217 km on 25 contracts and barely eight km were four-laned on GQ in November 2007. GQ was 96.3 four-laned across 5,629 km, as on November 30 this year. Land acquisition issues continue to plague the project with 8,362 hectares yet to be acquired in several states.

The report shows that a mere 21 km 8212; spread between 13 contracts 8212; have reported 75-100 progress, whereas 105 km 8212; across nine contracts 8212; still showed 50-75 progress and 63 km have reported below 25 progress as on October 31, 2007. NHAI expects 23 projects, including the lingering ones and the recently re-awarded ones, to be completed between December 2007 and June 2008.