Not impressed by the ambitious plans announced by Road Transport and Highways Minister Kamal Nath, the Planning Commission has advised the ministry to fix a “reasonable target” for construction of roads this year. “...Fix a reasonable target for award of contracts in the rest of the current year and raise it subsequently as soon as possible,” the commission said in a communiqué to the highways ministry. The commission pointed out to the ministry that it would not be able to award road construction contracts for more than 3,794 km in 2009-10, against a target of 12,652 km.
The ministry, the communiqué said, should adopt a programme fully in line with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Independence Day statement, in which he had said, “initiate action to construct 20 km per day (7,500 km per year)”.
