'Road quality non-negotiable, accountability must'

NION Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari talks about infrastructure developments with Parvez Sultan, citing a 60% expansion of the national highway network to over 1.46 lakh km. He outlines ongoing projects worth %12.20 lakh crore, major highway corridors, reforms in land acquisition and environmental clearances and measures to ensure road maintenance accountability. Excerpts:

- Nitin Gadkari

The country has seen a massive expansion of its national highway network recently. What is the status of this growth?

India’s national highway network has surged from 91,287 km in 2014 to over 1.46 lakh km today, a 60% increase. Currently, 48,536 km of projects worth 12.20 lakh crore are underway, with completed schemes totaling 716 lakh crore and upcoming projects at %15 lakh crore. Sixteen major highway corridors, including the Arunachal Frontier Highway (%30,000 crore) and Shillong-Silchar Greenfield Highway (%23,000 crore), have been sanctioned to boost regional connectivity. Ring roads in cities like Ayodhya, Kanpur, and Guwahati aim to ease congestion. In 11 years, 1.06 lakh km of highways have been constructed, with the ministry’s budget rising ninefold to 2.87 lakh crore.

Some projects still face delays caused by land acquisition and environmental clearance issues?