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Breaking Record Set In 2016, Modi Government Increased Pace Of Highway Building By 23 Per Cent This Year
Swarajya Staff
Dec 26, 2017, 09:29 AM | Updated 09:29 AM IST
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The Modi Government increased the pace of construction of national highways between April and November this year by 23 per cent over the same period last year, the Economic Times has reported.
Between April and November 2016, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had constructed and widened highways totalling 4,017 km with the daily construction averaging around 16.7 km. The Nitin Gadkari-led ministry broke its record this year as it built and widened 4,942 km of highways by 30 November, which is about 20.5 km a day.
According to the daily’s report, 8,231 km of highways were constructed in 2016, which is the highest in a single fiscal so far. Officials said they were confident of crossing 9,000 km in the financial year 2017-18 to achieve the highest ever construction of highways in the country.
"December to March are the most favourable months for road construction across the country. Usually, construction achieved during these months is equivalent to the total building of roads in the first eight months of any financial year,” an official said.
"We are holding regular reviews and progress is monitored keenly for faster completion of stretches under construction," he added.
Although the pace of construction increased this year, there was a fall in the award of projects during the first four months of the current financial year.
Work awarded between April and November this fiscal was about half of the stretches awarded during the same period in the financial year 2016-17.
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