Road Infrastructure

India's road infrastructure will surpass that of US: Nitin Gadkari

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday asserted that India's road infrastructure will be better than that of America in the coming time, underscoring that efficient highways, waterways and railways can lower logistics costs and boost the economy. He also took potshots at consultants making detailed project reports (DPR) for roads, saying they prepare this document by sitting at home. The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways was addressing the inaugural session of a two-day seminar in Bhopal on Latest emerging trends and technologies in road and bridge construction'. Gadkari recalled that when he was a minister in Maharashtra, he had a quote by former US President John F Kennedy in his office: American roads are not good because America is rich, but America is rich because American roads are good. The senior BJP leader said his friend Ratan Tata, who died earlier this month, had asked him several times about the quote during his visits to the minister's office. In the .

PM Modi to launch infra projects, agri schemes in Maharashtra on Saturday

The projects include the first phase of Mumbai Metro Line 3 Aqua Line, which is built at a cost of Rs 14,120 crore. The overall cost of the project is stated to be Rs 37,276 crore

CM Tamang chairs meeting with BRO for improvement of roads in North Sikkim

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang asked the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and state government officials to find out ways to improve road infrastructure, particularly in the strategically crucial North Sikkim. At the high-level review meeting held at the Chief Minister's official residence late Monday evening, Tamang stressed the need to find immediate and sustainable solutions to address road infrastructure in vulnerable and landslide-prone areas, particularly in North Sikkim, officials said. A joint inspection of critical regions was agreed upon to ensure a comprehensive assessment and action plan. The chief minister emphasised the importance of speeding up joint inspections and urged the officials to ensure swift execution of necessary actions. He also asked for restoration of damaged roads across the state on an urgent basis and called for immediate steps to expedite the recovery process. Tamang expressed his gratitude to BRO for its active participation and valuable .

Odisha govt asks transport officers to seize vehicles without fitness

The Odisha government has directed the transport authorities to seize vehicles, which are plying on roads without valid fitness certificates, and file cases. Transport Commissioner Amitabh Thakur has issued a circular, asking officers to take action against owners of vehicles which are being operated without valid fitness and registration certificates, an official statement said on Tuesday. The directions have been issued to not only impose fines but also to seize such vehicles and file cases as per the law, it said. All deputy transport commissioners and regional transport officers (RTOs) have been instructed to intensify the process for inspection of fitness and registration certificates throughout the state. According to the Central Motor Vehicles Act 1988, transport vehicles must have valid registration and fitness certificates, and for non-transport vehicles to have valid registration documents. Despite repeated awareness campaigns, some vehicle owners have been found violati

TN CM MK Stalin announces development of additional 10,000 km rural roads

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday announced in the Assembly that in the next two years, additionally, 10,000 km rural roads will be developed under the CM's Village Roads Development Scheme at an estimated cost of Rs 4,000 crore. Making a statement in the House, Stalin said development of road infrastructure is very important in the overall goal of the Dravidian model government to develop 'all districts, all sectors and all sections of the society.' There is a direct link between investing in rural roads and the welfare of people in rural regions. Developing road infrastructure and transport services improves trade efficiency in rural areas. It leads to reduction in input costs and an increase in production in agriculture sector. Under the Chief Minister's Village Roads Development Scheme (CMVRDS) announced by him on January 13, 2023 in the Assembly, Rs 4,000 crore was allocated for improving 10,000 km rural roads and so far, under this initiative, work is complete in

Modi lays foundation stone, lists projects worth Rs 17,300 cr in Tamil Nadu

Central government's work creating employment and improving living in the state, he says

Technical norms for road planners get stricter, to get higher priority

Bidders will have to disclose deficiencies in the past

Road ministry aims to construct record 13,813 km of highways in FY24

Jain further said the road ministry aims to garner Rs 40,000 crore through asset monetisation in the current financial year. Going forward, there will be more private investment for road projects

Govt to adopt qualitative tendering process instead of L1 system: Gadkari

The highways ministry will shift to quality-cum-cost based system for the selection of bids for various road construction-related projects in place of the age-old least-cost selection process, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said. The move is aimed at improving the quality of various infrastructure-related works in the country, the minister said at an event organised by the International Road Federation (IRF). Gadkari further said road engineering solutions must be taken care of while preparing Detailed Project Reports (DPR). "The road ministry will soon be adopting a qualitative tendering process instead of the least cost bidding process to bring in quality and road safety in various projects. "Qualitative tendering will help incorporate road safety features in designs keeping in mind the behaviour of the road users," the Road Transport and Highways minister said. Gadkari said bad road engineering is the biggest culprit for increasing road accidents in the country. Elaborating furt

Centre allocates Rs 1,782 cr for strategic road project in Arunachal

The Centre has sanctioned Rs 1,782 crore for construction of a strategic road project in Arunachal Pradesh, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday. The ministry sanctioned the project for the construction of the 82-kilometre-long greenfield road from Pango to Jorging in Upper Siang district of the northeastern state. The project would encompass package-1 and II, Gadkari said on X. "The proposed project aims to ensure seamless and secure traffic flow, establishing year-round connectivity to the villages in the region, thereby catalyzing socio-economic development in the hilly areas of the district", the minister said. The strategically crucial road will substantially reduce travel time for security forces, enhancing their efficiency in reaching border areas, Gadkari added. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has expressed his delight over the development. Khandu said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there is

REC Ltd, RVNL sign Rs 35,000 crore MoU to finance infrastructure projects

REC will be financing diverse projects including logistics hubs, rail, road, port, and metro over the next 5 years

Nitin Gadkari aims for road infrastructure to match US in next 5 years

India aims to elevate its road infrastructure to match that of the US within the next five years, said Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari. As part of a comprehensive strategy, the government seeks to alleviate metro congestion, significantly reduce travel time, and minimise road accidents, he said. In the preceding nine years, his ministry has allocated projects exceeding Rs 50 lakh crore and has streamlined the contract approval process by refining existing policies. "No contractor needs to come to me for sanctioning the contract. We are transparent, time- bound, result-oriented and quality conscious and fast in decision-making. We consider the ministry, contractors and bankers as one family. "We encourage good work, and that is why we have seven world records. This is the great achievement of the ministry," he said in an interview published in the Manorama Yearbook 2024. "I am confident that after five years, our road infrastructure will be equal to the US,"

Centre cuts logistics costs to below 9% of GDP with higher state spending

According to the World Bank's Logistics Performance Index, India ranked 38th out of 139 countries in 2023, helped by improving road and port networks and digitisation of the supply chains

Road accident fatalities hit all-time high last year in India: Govt data

The year marked an increase of 11.9 per cent in accidents, 9.4 per cent in fatalities, and 15.3 per cent in injuries compared to 2021

Road developers' debt to spike, revenue growth to remain high: Report

Sizeable equity commitments in under-construction projects and rising working capital needs will increase the debt burden of road developers but revenue growth is set to remain high, driven by strong contract awards and execution in the next fiscal, according to a report. Besides, a high budgetary allocation to the sector will also help road developers, it added. With the prevailing low leverage levels, developers have the headroom to borrow more to fund new projects, which will keep their credit risk profiles stable, said a Crisil report, which also notes that asset monetisation will be crucial to rein in debt. The report is based on the analysis of 18 engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) players, constituting 70 per cent of the sectoral revenue. According to Mohit Makhija, a senior director at the agency, total equity commitment towards the under-construction public-private partnership (PPP) projects is estimated at over Rs 21,000 crore by fiscal 2025. The working cap

Delhi govt approves infra projects worth Rs 11.28 cr for repair of roads

Sisodia also directed the officials to follow the global standards of street design and also ensure compliance with all safety and security standards during the maintenance work of roads

Delhi govt approves projects worth Rs 12 cr to strengthen road infra

Sisodia has directed the concerned officials to complete the work in the stipulated time and ensure that no inconvenience is caused to the public when the work is in progress

Time to press accelerator with higher infra spend, inviting global capital

It's a different equation that markets where the money went to, did not perform and one saw FII money flowing into India once again in the fourth quarter of 2022

Order rebound could lead to uptick for road infrastructure players

NHAI has front loaded awards because there was a large number of awards in April 2022

CAIT seeks govt's intervention in Delhi's poor road infra, requests audit

Seeking the intervention of Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari him to order a road audit of Delhi.