homeinfrastructure NewsWill construct 5,500 km of highways next yr; no pre qualification relaxations to contractors: MoRTH Secy
Will construct 5,500 km of highways next yr; no pre-qualification relaxations to contractors: MoRTH Secy
In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Giridhar Aramane, Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), said that the government of India has made the largest allocation to roads and highways in the next financial year. He shared that traditionally the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has been building around 4,500-5,000 kms, however the scale of construction of highways will be upped for the next year to 5,500 kms. He also pointed out that there have been no relaxations of pre-qualifications with respect to contractors.
In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Giridhar Aramane, Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), said that the government of India has made the largest allocation to roads and highways in the next financial year. He shared that traditionally the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has been building around 4,500-5,000 kms, however the scale of construction of highways will be upped for the next year to 5,500 kms. Elaborating further, he said that they will be able to achieve construction of around 4,100 kms of highways in this year itself out of a target of 4,500 kms.
"Government of India has made the largest allocation to the highway sector in the next financial year. NHAI traditionally has been building around 4,500 to 5,000 kms. Next year, we are upping the scale of construction, it will be around 5,500 kms."
"For this year, our target was around 4,500 kilometers of which we may be able to achieve around 4,100 because of COVID-19, excessive rains, and extended monsoon in certain states. Next year, we are targeting to build around 5,200 to 5,500 kms," he said.
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Aramane pointed that the government is now actively building new-age roads, which need much more qualitative work. Elaborating further, he shared that the value of work done has increased significantly.
"The new-age roads we are building, the six-lane and eight-lane access control roads and highways require much more qualitative work and much more resources and also efforts, which means that the number of kilometers constructed will not be a good indicator of the total work done. In fact, when we build an eight-lane road, it's almost double of the four-lane roads. So in terms of increase in the value of work done, it's almost 3-4 times," he explained.
Aramane also shared that while there have been certain improvements to the model concession agreements, there have been no relaxations of pre-qualifications with respect to contractors.
"There are certain improvements done to the model concession agreements, which will increase competition, but we have not relaxed any pre-qualifications like their technical ability and their financial capability. In fact, we are in the process of tightening the financial pre-qualification so that only those contractors with the necessary wherewithal to mobilize the working capital are in this field and others who are bidding and bringing competition to a very low level will be thrown out of the sector," he said.
Watch the video for the full interview.
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