In a recent interview with HT, MoRTH secretary and chairperson of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Giridhar Aramane explained how the Gati Shakti plan, announced during the Union Budget recently, will be the primary focus followed by integrated planning all across the board. The former is expected to bring together energy and speed into the sector, thanks to the resources being pumped by the government. The latter will ensure easier living for the common man, make industries more competitive and make exports cheaper than before. The budget allocation for the MoRTH this year has been increased by 70 percent, especially for the road sector.
On the topic of NHAI’s aim of building 25,000 km of national highways, Aramane said that there were slowdowns earlier due to Covid-19, but they have an aim of building 12,000-13,000 km per annum. By January 31, NHAI had built around 7,000 kilometres of road, but the target for this year seems to be in sight with a total of 11,500 kilometres by March. He also said that the 25,000 kilometres of road are being built to connect all the major infrastructure developments happening simultaneously, to make the connection between new airports, ports and other industrial points of interest stronger. In fact, NHAI hopes to provide four-lane connectivity to most ports.
In the future, NHAI will be working on a number of projects, which include the Ambala-Kgotputli expressway, Delhi-Jaipur expressway and finally the much-awaited Delhi-Mumbai expressway, albeit just a section for now. Aramane also explained that these modern transport corridors will come with the latest technology and world-class amenities, like the advanced traffic management system (ATMS). There will also be an emphasis on ropeway projects, 8 of which will be Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. These are expected to be ready in about a year-and-half time. When asked about the NHAI debt, which stands at Rs 3.5 trillion at a cost of six percent, Aramane seemed confident.
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He further spoke about how most of the borrowings were made for the Bharatmala plan, which consists of 23-odd expressways. To generate further revenues, NHAI will take over highway projects from state Public Works Departments (PWDs), which is sure to bring in more toll revenues. Just last year, NHAI collected Rs 29,000 crore through toll revenue.
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For 2022-23, this figure is expected to go to Rs 35,000 crore and in the next three years to Rs 50,000 crore. This is down to the fact that there will be an increase in number of vehicles plying on the roads.
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