Question : Fund Crunch for Highway Development Projects

(a) whether several highway development projects in the country have been stopped due to fund crunch with the Government and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether in October 2017, the Government made a target to develop 35000 km of NHs with an estimated cost of Rs. 5.5 lakh crore thereof;

(c) if so, whether Government could not be able to complete 10000 km NHs as on date; and

(d) if so, present status of NHs, sanctioned projects, details of allocation of funds therein and the extra funding needed to complete 35000 km NHs thereto?

THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

(SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)

(a) No Sir.

(b) to (d) The Government of India had approved Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-I in October, 2017 for development of economic corridors, inter corridors, feeder routes, national corridors, border roads, international connectivity roads, coastal roads, port connectivity roads and expressways with an aggregate length of about 34,800 km (including 10,000 km residual NHDP stretches) at an estimated outlay of Rs.5,35,000.00 crores. Total of 225 road projects with an aggregate length of 9,613 km have been appraised & approved till March, 2019 under Bharatmala Pariyojana (including 53 residual NHDP works of aggregate length of 2,463 kms) with Total Capital Cost as Rs. 2,43,415 crores (including LA & pre-construction cost). However, it has been observed that actual cost of Land Acquisition is 3 times the estimated values and the prevailing costs of civil construction are more than those estimated at the time of approval of CCEA in October, 2017. As such, additional financial resources are required for completion of Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-I, for which efforts such as asset monetization, Masala bonds etc. have been initiated.

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