To speed up NH projects, road transport min to soon start ranking states ‘ease of land acquisition'
NEW DELHI: The road transport ministry will soon start ranking states on parameters of 'ease of land acquisition' as delay in getting the required land remains the biggest roadblock for national highway and expressway projects.
This is aimed at fixing delays during the pre-construction and the project execution stages.
Ranking of states will also help the Centre in prioritising projects in those states that take less time to make land available for construction. Sources said the parameters are being worked out by the ministry. One of best possible parameters is — time taken for making around 90% land available from the date of approval of an NH project.
This means states taking the least number of days for completing the land acquisition process will get a better ranking.
The ministry's move gains importance considering that in the past couple of years, highway-owning agencies, including NHAI and NHIDCL, have de-scoped works in around 20% projects to give completion certificates due to want of land. There have also been instances of NHAI terminating contracts after awarding them for non-availability of land.
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'The details of the past 5-6 years can be a reference point to rank states. However, considering that there has been a trend of the Centre announcing and approving more NH projects in poll-bound states, it remains to be seen how strictly such a norm will be followed. This must be tried with all sincerity,' said an official.
Since land is a state subject, the Centre is almost fully dependent on state govts for getting the required land parcels, officials said.
Earlier, PM Narendra Modi had directed the cabinet secretary to prepare a training capsule on land acquisition in collaboration with the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), where civil servants undergo extensive training. He had said this would help sensitise civil services recruits about the process. As the competent authority for land acquisition in districts are deputy commissioners or collectors, training them about the process during their time at the institute will be of great help.
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