Roads Projects-Governments and Missed Targets
Posted : March 27, 2006 at 10:27 am [IST]
GQ (Golden Quadrilateral) and Corridors Projects were one of Nation’s pride and the first such one for the country. And this is one that proves how when one government tried to do some significant change of perception about thee government’s execution capability, the incoming government damages that.
An article in ‘Business Today’ of December 9, 2001 reported that the completion date of GQ has been moved up from December 2004 to December 2003. The government wanted to undo the perception of the government’s efficiency.
On October 14, 2002, a one-page advertisement of NHAI had claimed a construction speed of 17 kms of single-lane or 5 kms of 4-laned roads under National Highway Development Project.
As on the date in October 2002, 1159 kms out of a total 5846 kms of 4-laned GQ were completed and 4451 kms were under implementation. 800 kms of 7300 kms of roads of Corridors project were completed and 688 kms were under implementation. 10 major ports were also getting connected with 4-laned roads.
Surprisingly, the finance minister in his Budget 2006 speech this year provided the progress report or performance report of NHDP in these words: Work on the Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) and the North-South, East-West Corridors are progressing at the rate of 4.48 kms per day. 96 per cent of the GQ will be completed by June, 2006 and the Corridors will be completed by end 2008.
The GQ is behind by three years. And the responsibility is hardly fixed. No effort seems to be in plan to execute the remaining of the projects faster. However, the government keeps on announcing many new projects including six-laning of the total length of GQ and Corridors roads.
All the former ministers go on talking of slow down in the execution. Pramod Mahajan talked about GQ project at India Today Conclave 2006: “Within two years we built 2801 kms. And in last two years, 493 kms.” Former road transport and National Highways minister, B C Khanduri, says, “Going by the present pace, it’ll not be possible to meet the target date. The delay will only add to the cost.”
The Times of India off last Sunday has two references to this project of national importance. The feature-’Corridor project to be delayed due to polls’ presents just a shocking state of affairs:
‘The North-South East-West (NSEW) corridor project aims at connecting Silchar to Porbandar and Srinagar to Kanyakumari. The 4-lane corridor was launched in 2003 and was supposed to be completed by 2008. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), which is executing the project, has completed 812 km till date.’ Is it not only 10 kms after October 2002? How can the FM’s promise of completion of corridors in 2008 be believed? Perhaps, he can give any date suiting him as no one will ask him why the government failed to do it and he and his officers can always discover some good excuses.
Uptil now the excuse was slow land acquisition and now, it’s assembly elections. The 7,300 km long NSEW corridor passes through 12 states, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and West Bengal where elections are slated to begin from the third week of April and continue till the second week of May. State governments provide logistic support, including mobilising staff for land acquisition, about 17,000 hectares. However, with the election process on, it will be difficult for the above four states to spare staff. Is EC listening? Will it vouch for it? Can it find a way out so that any project of this importance is not affected?
Environment clearance is another hurdle, as many trees have to be cut along the corridor. And it may mean realignment of routes in some areas. How can the infrastructure projects move fast? Why can’t we speed up? Can technocrats of the country provide solutions to the shameful conditions? And the minister, Mr. Balu never talks of that. He is too busy with his regional politics and his pet Sethusamudran project
NHAI hopes to expedite the project after the elections. 48% of the land required has already been acquired for the project. And major contracts for 4,500 km have already been awarded.
Gurucharan Das in his column of Sunday TOI talks of the implementation problems. “We tend to blame ideology or democracy or our system, but the dirty secret is that Indians value ideas over accomplishment. Exceptions like Sreedharan at Delhi’s Metro or Kurien at Amul did deliver, after all, from within the system. Even Nehruvian socialism could have delivered more - it didn’t have to degenerate into Licence Raj. The golden quadrilateral highway project made great strides when B C Khanduri set clear, measurable goals, monitored day-to-day progress, and persistently removed obstacles. He thus motivated NHAI employees, but also made them accountable.”
I wish there are some discussions at CII level to speed up the project of the roads, and NHAI instead of finding excuses of noncompliance with the schedule thinks in proactive manner.
- Indra
Category: Government Policy/Administration |
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