NHAI invites bids for Rs 1.75 L cr projects

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 2

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has invited bids worth nearly Rs 1,75,000 crore for a length of 10,460 km till January 2018.

Further bids in another 1,000 km will be invited within the next 15 days. The average length of road projects awarded by the NHAI in the past five years was 2,860 km, with 4,335 km awarded in 2016-17.

Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari had set a target for NHAI for award of 10,000 km this year.

Projects for a length of nearly 2,700 km costing Rs 43,000 crore have already been awarded by the Authority in 2017-18, and there are plans to award 3,300 km in Februray and 5,000 km in March subject to response in bidding and cooperation from the state governments in land acquisition and project clearances.

To ensure that the targets are achieved, the NHAI has set up a robust monitoring mechanism.

Officials from the NHAI headquarters have been visiting project sites of critical projects and meeting officials of the state governments (District Collectors and Land Acquisition Officers) for expediting land acquisition and project clearances. The ministry claimed that in 2017-18 NHAI is set to complete construction of 3,500 km against the average in past 5 years of 2,170 km.