Plan panel is for planning,but were the doers: Nath

Road transport and highways minister Kamal Nath on Friday took a potshot at the Planning Commission for lowering the target of awarding road projects. Nath said his ministry sets its own goals and strives to achieve the same.

I have set the target. We build roads. Planning Commission can plan. There is a difference between doers and planners. Planning Commissions job is just to plan, Nath told reporters when asked for his response to Planning Commission setting up a lower target for awarding and building roads in 2010-11. They Planning Commission just juggle the figures. I cannot comment on that. I dont know about them, he added.

When asked whether there is any differences between Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Nath,the minister said,At 9 am when we talk,our figures match. I dont know what happens after that.

As per targets set by the panel for 2010-11,the road ministry can award projects for upgrading 9,000 km of national highways. This is against the 12,000 km that Nath has set his eyes on.

However,the fact remains that NHAI,which is the nodal agency for awarding national highway projects,could not manage to

meet the ministrys ambitious target of awarding 12,652-km projects in 2009-10. FE