The Prime Minister's Office will review the progress of the Rs 58,000-crore national highways development project (NHDP) on September 5.
The meeting assumes significance in view of the government's assertions that NHDP is one of the most crucial projects, entailing significant government spending, for reviving the sluggish domestic economy.
At the meeting, to be attended by the concerned ministries, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is scheduled to give a presentation on the progress in awarding contracts for the different segments of the project. The meeting will also assess the time schedule for the completion of project, set at December 2003.
The road transport and highways ministry had set a target of awarding all contracts on the golden quadrilateral section of the project by July 2001. But it is left with about 1,500 km which is yet to be awarded for upgradation. These stretches are mainly confined to the World Bank-funded national highway no 2 and national highway no 8.
NHDP, which involves multi-laning of 13,252 km of national highways, comprises two separate projects --- upgradation of 5,952 km of golden quadrilateral connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Calcutta and 7,300 km of North-South corridor joining Srinagar with Kanyakumari and East-West corridor linking Silchar with Porbandar.
Upgradation of these corridors is scheduled for completion by 2007, but all the focus is presently on award of all contracts on the golden quadrilateral.
