The centrepiece of the previous National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government’s India Shining campaign about 15 years ago was the Golden Quadrilateral project of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
Today, under another NDA government at the Centre, the situation is different. Now, it is the road transport ministry, not the NHAI, that seems to be calling the shots. The data on the number of road projects awarded between 2011-12 and 2016-17 suggests a clear trend reversal. In 2011-12, the NHAI had a larger share of projects in terms of kilometers, compared to the road ministry. By the end of