Around 75 per cent of the projects completed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) so far were delayed due to various reasons, including land acquisition problems, Parliament was informed today.
In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways R P N Singh said that out of 230 projects completed by the NHAI so far, a total of 172, or 74.8 per cent, of the projects were delayed.
"123 projects currently under implementation are also delayed," the minister said, adding that projects were mainly delayed due to problems in land acquisition, shifting of utilities, non-availability of environmental, forest and railway clearances and legal disputes.
Regarding cost overruns due to the delay in implementation of these projects, he said that the contracts, awarded on an Engineering, Procurement and Construction basis, had provisions for variation and cost escalation in case of delays beyond the control of the contractors.
