India’s pace of building national highways nearly halved in the first six months of this financial year to 19.44 kilometres a day from record 37 kms per day constructed in fiscal year 2021, according to official data.
The pace of highway construction was at 28.64 kms a day in 2021-22, amid the pandemic-related disruptions and a longer-than-usual monsoon in some areas of the country.
“The ministry has constructed 3,559 KMs of National Highways up to September in 2022-23 as compared to 3,824 KMs constructed up to September in 2021-22,” the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said in its monthly summary for the Cabinet for September 2022.
India has awarded 4,092 kms of highway projects during April-September this year, lower than 4,609 kms in the comparable year-earlier period.
New Delhi has set a target of constructing 12,000 kms of national highways in this fiscal year that ends Mar. 31, 2023.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) are primarily responsible for constructing national highways and expressways across the country.