Under the leadership of Mr. Nitin Gadkari, the The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is planning to launch the satellite-based tolling systems for national roads by March 2024.
India’s Infrastructure Strides: Toll Plaza Efficiency, Export Facilitation, and National Highways Expansion
India has shared progress with the World Bank in making toll plazas faster and releasing exports more quickly at land ports. The use of FASTag has helped a lot, reducing the average wait time at toll plazas from 714 seconds to just 47 seconds. The Indian government discussed its plans and achievements with World Bank representatives.
Data from the Road Transport Ministry shows that by November of the previous year, agencies under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had expanded or completed 5,248 km of National Highways (NHs). This is more than the 4,766 km achieved in the same period the previous year. However, with only four months left in the current fiscal year, meeting the government’s goal of building and extending 12,000 km seems challenging.
Concerns Arise: Slowdown in Project Bidding and Implications for National Highway Construction
There has been a slowdown in bidding for new projects this year. While agencies bid for 5,382 km of work between April and November of 2022–2023, this year has only seen bids for 2,815 km. The delay in approving updated plans raises concerns about the impact on project bidding. The lack of projects awarded this year could potentially affect construction progress in the fiscal year 2024–2025.
The finance ministry has told the road ministry not to start any new Bharatmala projects without fresh cabinet permission. This is expected to affect the construction of over 8,000 km of National Highway routes under the government’s main initiative.
