NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) recently released the ‘Year End Review 2019’. The Review enlists the work carried out by the Ministry in the past year in comparison to its work in earlier years. According to the Report, 2019 was a year for monitoring of ongoing projects, tackling road blocks and adding to the already impressive pace of work achieved during the past years. In the year 2018-19, the ministry completed about 10,855 km length of roads and 5,494 km long road projects were newly awarded to the respective bodies executing them. The rate of development of roads improved from just about 11.7 km per day in 2013-14 to about 30 km per day in the year 2018-19. As a result of all these improvements, the length of National Highways in India increased from 91,287 km in April 2014 to about 1,32,500 km as on December 31, 2019. The annual budget of MoRTH also increased from Rs 33,745 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 1,37,354 crore in 2018-19. During the current year an expenditure of Rs 85,275 crore has already been incurred till November 2019 including the internal and extra budgetary resources of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
The Report further stated the Ministry’s plans for the coming years:
Accelerated Development of Highways
MoTRH plans to expand the network of National Highways by about 60,000 km in the next five years. Out of these, 2500 km are Expressways/Access Controlled Highways, 9000 kms of Economic Corridors, 2000 kms for Coastal and Port Connectivity Highways and 2000 kms of Border Road/ Strategic Highways. The Ministry also intends to improve connectivity of 100 tourist destinations and construct bypasses for 45 towns and cities during this period.
Increasing finances by using Innovative Instruments
With the aim of increasing the funding for National Highways, NHAI intends to raise Rs 1 lakh crore through Toll-Operate-Transfer (TOT) model of asset monetisation in the next five years. Finances are also likely to accrue from Securitisation of Toll Revenues as well as the setting up of Infra Investment Trust (InvIT). Other steps being taken by NHAI include financing new projects through National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) supported SPVs.
Progress of Major Programmes/ Landmark Projects
According to the Report, the work of major bridge across Sharavathi backwaters, approaches between Ambargodu and Kalasvali in Karnataka and 16 Trans Rajasthan Highways project have been awarded.
A three-lane underpass was inaugurated at Parade Road junction near Manekshaw Centre on National Highway – 8 in New Delhi on September 12, 2019. With opening of this underpass, movement of traffic from Airport to Dhaula Kuan has become signal free.
The Report further stated that the Dasna-Hapur section of Delhi-Meerut Expressway (package-3) in Uttar Pradesh’s Pilakhuwa has been inaugurated by Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, on September 30, 2019. The completion of this section is expected to further help in decongesting the National Capital Region, bring down pollution levels and reduce travel time significantly.
All these achievements, according to the MoRTH, will help in reducing the connectivity problem in the remote areas of the country, significantly decongest the metropolises and help in reducing air and sound pollution in major cities across the country.
Also, the report states a large number of works completed by the Ministry and its subsidiary bodies in the past one year and has made its aims for the upcoming years clear.