Fix reasonable targets,road ministry told

The commission pointed out to the ministry that it would not be able to award road construction contracts for more than 3,794 km in 2009-10 against a target of 12,652 km.

The ministry,the communication said,should adopt a programme fully in line with Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs Independence Day statement in which he had said,initiate action to construct 20 km per day 7,500 km per year.

According to the plan panels estimates,the NHAI would be hard pressed to award more than 2,500 km of road-building contracts in the remaining period of the current fiscal.

In the past two months,by when the UPA-II government was fully functioning,they awarded only 357 km. With this track record,they would be hard pressed to do more than 2,500 km in8230; the remaining period of the fiscal which would take the total to 3,794 km. We can encourage somewhat greater ambition and set a target for 4,250 km for 2009-10, it said.

Nath has made several announcements,including his ministrys ambitious targets of constructing 35,000 km of highways in five years.