PM sets targets for awarding road & highway projects

Following an intervention from the PMO,the Highways Ministry has extended an assurance that it will wrap up the award of 26 road projects to ensure that the target set for the current fiscal is met

Following an intervention from the PMO,the Highways Ministry has extended an assurance that it will wrap up the award of 26 road projects to ensure that the target set for the current fiscal is met.

On the direction of the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has assured that 15 major projects of 1,547 kilometers of Roads and Highways will be awarded within this financial year. Another 11 projects for 1,731 kms of Roads will be considered by the Public Private Partnership Approval Committee,next week for speedy approval, a statement from the Ministry said. This,it said,will ensure that the target for the current financial year of 7,999 kms is met on time.

This follows a meeting called by the Principal Secretary to the PM that was attended by Member Secretary Planning Commission,Secretary Department of Economic Affairs,Secretary Ministry of Road Transport & Highways,where it was decided that Cabinet approvals will be sought within the next week to complete this task.

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The Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure will also consider a proposal by the ministry on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway and is likely to clear the project in its meeting scheduled for next week.

This Expressway will help in decongesting the National Capital Region on both the Uttar Pradesh and Haryana side,along with the Western Peripheral Expressway which is nearing completion. The Highways Ministry would also indicate its targets for the next year within this month.