India

Government Working On Policy To Make National Highways Pothole-Free By Year-End: Gadkari

The government is working on a policy to ensure that there are no potholes on national highways by year-end and construction of roads on Built-Operate-Transfer (BOT) mode is being preferred as such projects are maintained in a better manner, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday.
With an aim to make the national highways free of potholes by the end of December this year, the Road Transport and Highways Ministry is firming up performance-based maintenance and short-term maintenance contracts.
Generally, road construction is done through three modes — BOT, Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC), and Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM).
The roads which are constructed under the EPC mode require maintenance quite early whereas under the BOT mode, roads are better constructed as the contractor knows that he will have to bear the cost of maintenance for the next 15-20 years.
“That is why we have decided for construction of roads under the BOT mode in a big way,” the Road Transport and Highways Minister said at a media briefing on various initiatives of his ministry.
Noting that rains can cause damage to highways resulting in potholes, Gadkari said the ministry is doing a safety audit of national highways.
A policy is being made to ensure the national highways are free of potholes and young engineers will be roped in to make the project a success, he said.
Road Transport and Highways Secretary Anurag Jain said the ministry has done the mapping of the entire national highways length of 1,46,000 kilometres and is firming up performance-based maintenance and short-term maintenance contracts to remove potholes by December this year.
In BOT projects, private investors take the risk of financing, building and operating highway projects over a concession period of 20-30 years. The developers then recover the investments through user charges or tolls.
In EPC projects, the government pays the developer for constructing the highway while the toll revenues accrue to the government.
PTI
Shivanshi Srivastava

Recent Posts

PM Modi Inaugurates New Pamban Bridge; Showcasing India’s Engineering Excellence

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the New Pamban Bridge in Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu, India's first…

9 mins ago

Sri Lanka Releases 11 Indian Fishermen After Talks With PM Modi On ‘Humane Solutions’

Sri Lanka released at least 11 Indian fishermen as a special gesture, a day after…

1 hour ago

PM Modi Concludes Sri Lanka Visit; Heads To Rameswaram To Inaugurate New Pamban Sea Bridge

After his state visit to Sri Lanka, PM Modi departed for Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, to…

2 hours ago

PM Modi Offers Prayers At Sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi In Sri Lanka; Launches Key Railway Projects

PM Modi prayed at the sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura, underscoring India-Sri Lanka…

2 hours ago

Equity Market Outlook For The Upcoming Week Driven By Domestic And Global Factors

The equity market outlook for the upcoming week will be influenced by several key domestic…

2 hours ago

President Murmu Extends Ram Navami Greetings, Highlights The Festival’s Significance

President Droupadi Murmu extended her heartfelt greetings to the nation on the occasion of Ram…

3 hours ago