- As you are aware, ever since the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance formed the government at the Centre, the pace of development on the infrastructure front has been nothing short of spectacular. Especially the emphasis on constructing national highways and other modes of transportation has achieved phenomenal heights. The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has pushed the department with tremendous zeal, enthusiasm, purpose, and intent to log hitherto unheard-of growth in highway construction. The Union Budget over the last few years has earmarked substantial funds to ensure the speed of the construction of the highway sustains on expected lines. Comprehending people will not question this for sure.
Pc: Freepik
- The moot point to ponder over here is has the quality required to ensure the world-class infrastructure survives vagaries of all kinds, including natural calamities, after the construction is thrown open to public usage. Worryingly, the answer may not be vociferously positive. Of course, the Union Government’s commitment to upgrading road infrastructure is evident in its budgetary allocation. In concrete terms, it’s shown in the expansion of the National Highway (NH) stock from 91,287 km on March 31, 2014, to 1.45 lakh km at the end of February 2023. A sense of the investment going into it comes from the 2021-22 expenditure of Rs 2.2 lakh crore on roads, with the Union Government contributing over 90%.
- Indeed, the prioritization and investment in roads are widely acknowledged. However, anecdotal evidence indicates that the indifferent quality of the NH programme remains an unaddressed issue. For instance, the new 118-km Bengaluru-Mysore expressway is facing some challenges in the road-building programme. Beginning with the toll being levied when the work hadn’t entirely been completed to a stretch being inundated over the weekend after a night’s shower suggests that execution leaves a lot to be desired. It’s not just greenfield projects like this expressway that face challenges. The existing NH stock appears to suffer from underspending on maintenance. To appreciate the scale of this problem, consider how GOI is rapidly expanding its NH stock.
PC: Freepik
- Most of the expansion has come by reclassifying or upgrading state roads as NH. For example, GOI data showed that from 2017-18 to January 31, 2023, about 28,517 km of state roads have been brought under the NH portfolio. As NHs are India’s arterial roads, upgrades need attendant maintenance to meet the quality standard. Here, NHAI seems to have a problem. The annual budgetary outlay for maintenance and repairs is only about 40% of the estimated need as per its own norms. Toll collections from NHs in 2021-22 were Rs 34, 743. The problem lies in prioritization where the overwhelming emphasis is on the expansion of NH stock. Growing this portfolio without adequate attention to quality will not enhance India’s economic competitiveness. This glaring lacuna in the road’s programme needs to be addressed expeditiously.
