The Minister of
State (Independent Charge) for Road Transport and Highways,
Maj. Gen. (Retd.) B.C. Khanduri today called upon the private
sector to be partners in development of infrastructure in the
country. The Minister said that fast progress of the National
Highways Development Project (NHDP) has generated lot of private
sector interest in the Project as it has amply demonstrated
India’s ability to implement big projects efficiently and without
time and cost overruns. The Minister said that the Government
is willing to examine any suggestion that the private sector
may have to offer for facilitating greater participation in
road building. He was speaking at a National Conference on ‘Roads
and Highways: Paving the Way to Competitiveness’, organised
by CII, here.
Speaking on the
occasion, the Minister said that when NHDP was announced, there
were many skeptics who considered it impractical and a pipe
dream. However, he said, three years down the line the Prime
Minister’s dream is fast turning into reality and the progress
made is there for all to see. Gen. Khanduri said the success
of NHDP will not only immensely benefit the nation’s economy,
it will also act as a booster for our national pride. Successful
implementation of NHDP will pave the way for many such projects
in the future leading to a developed and prosperous India, he
said.
The Minister said
that the Government intends to develop road infrastructure in
a comprehensive manner by laying equal stress on improvement
of rural roads and State roads, alongwith the National Highways.
Out of about Rs.6,000 crore accruing into the Central Road Fund
every year, nearly Rs.3,500 crore is being provided to the States
per year for development of rural and State roads, he said.
The Minister remarked that never before in the history of the
country have such huge funds been provided to States for development
of road infrastructure.
Highlighting the
importance of road transport in the country, Gen. Khanduri said
that almost 70% of freight and nearly 80% passenger traffic
move on roads. The urgent need for road development can be gauged
from the fact that the number of vehicles in the country has
grown exponentially from 0.3 million in the year 1951, to 50
million in the year 2000, he stressed.
Among others who
spoke on the occasion included Mr. Nazir Alli, Chief Executive
Officer, the South African National Road Agency, Shri Ashoke
Joshi, Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and
Shri Santosh Nautiyal, Chairman, National Highways Authority
of India.
