The Road Transport and Highways Ministry has accelerated pending road projects, with the goal of finalising 50% by the end of March through expedited clearances, swifter land procurement, and timely central funding allocation, a senior official told ET.“The ministry has identified low-hanging projects along with issues resulting in delay of these projects and is moving ahead with targeted intervention to streamline work on these projects,” the official said on condition of anonymity. “Besides, a strict monitoring mechanism has been put in place to ensure that they meet the fresh date of completion with monthly review of these projects being done at the highest level,” the official added.Data from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation shows that the Road Transport and Highways Ministry is currently overseeing 923 projects, with most having surpassed their initial completion dates.The total expenditure projection for these projects stands at Rs 7.7 lakh crore, exceeding both the revised estimate of Rs 7.6 lakh crore and the initial budget of Rs 7.3 lakh crore.In the June quarter, 81 road projects were completed, representing 69.8% of the 116 finished Central infrastructure projects across sectors. This showed substantial improvement from the previous year’s figure of 59 road projects, which constituted 56.2% of 105 completed central projects.An ET analysis showed that roads and highways accounted for 32 of 42 infrastructure projects (76.2%) completed in June. Additionally, the road sector contributed 24 of the 40 projects finished in May.This assessment considers projects valued at ₹150 crore or more, indicating substantial progress in the road transport and highways sector.Several projects faced considerable delays before completion. For example, the NH-219 rehabilitation in Andhra Pradesh took 9 years and 8 months, despite its original October 2015 deadline.The four-laning project of NH-361’s Waranga Mahagaon section in Maharashtra was completed after 8 years and 3 months, having initially been scheduled for March 2017.
