20 kms of highway construction per day [Apr 2012]

The target construction of national highways has been set at 20 kilometres per day which translates to an annual construction of more than 7,000 kilometres over the next one year, secretary at the ministry of road transport and highways AK Upadhyay.
At the same time, 150 kilometres of roads are being constructed per day in rural areas, he said while addressing delegates at an international summit organised by ASSOCHAM.
In 2009-10, the target length of highway construction was 3,165 kilometres but the actual construction was 2,693 kilometres due to delays in land acquisition, procurement of material and construction by developers or contractors. Mr. Upadhyay said the proposed investment requirement will be about 146 billion dollars in the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) and a 40 per cent private sector involvement will mean a whopping 58 billion dollar investment in roads and highways under the PPP. “Roads are the most essential part of infrastructure for providing industry and agriculture with the connectivity for markets for growth in production and trade, and more so for improving the quality of life for its citizens. At present, 211 projects in PPP mode are underway across the country with investments of 32 billion dollars”, he said.

7