(a) whether an aircraft for inspection and monitoring of road work by official is being proposed to be procured;
(b) if so, the details thereof along with the number of aircraft and chopper to be procured;
(c) whether Finance Ministry has been consulted in this regard, if so, the response thereof; and
(d) the other steps taken/being taken by the Government to accelerate and complete the ongoing road projects through regular monitoring in a time bound manner?
(a) & (b) Yes, Madam. The Ministry proposes to acquire one fixed wing Aircraft (8-10 seater) and one helicopter for assured mobility and increasing the frequency of field inspections of senior officers of the Ministry, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) & National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL). The acquiring of fixed wing aircraft (8-10 seater) and helicopter have been assigned to NHAI and NHIDCL respectively.
(c) Yes, Madam. The Ministry of Finance has advised to examine the reference in accordance with Rule 18 of the Delegation of Financial Powers Rules (DFPRs), 1978.
(d) In order to ensure timely completion of the ongoing projects, regular Review Meetings in the Ministry are held with project developers, State Govts., field officials and contractors. Regular review meetings are also held by implementing agencies i.e. NHAI, State PWDs, NHIDCL and Border Roads Organisation (BRO) at their Head Quarter and field units to streamline various bottlenecks, so that projects are completed in time-bound manner.
******