December 15, 2009, New Delhi: Shri R P N Singh, minister of state for road transport and highways, informed the Lok Sabha that 14 projects have been so far awarded in 2009-10, under the National Highways Development Programme (NHDP). This includes three each in Rajasthan and Maharashtra, two each in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh and one each in Jharkhand, Punjab, Karnataka and Bihar. The total projected cost of all the 14 projects is Rs 11,908.32 crore and they cover a total length of 1289.13 km. In 2008-09, eight such projects were awarded, the number of projects awarded in 2007-08 was 14 and those in 2006-07 was 38.

The minister also informed that 99% of the Golden Quadrilateral Project would be completed by March 2010. The work of four/six laning of North South-East West corridor will be completed by December 2010 and six laning of the Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) and high density corridor will be completed by December 2012.

In order to expedite project implementation, regional offices have been set up by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), headed by chief general managers to monitor land acquisition matters as well as implementation of projects. Besides, 72 special land acquisition units (SLAUs) have been set up in various states to expedite land acquisition. The state governments have been requested to appoint chief secretaries as nodal officers for NHDP projects. Furthermore, the projects are also closely and periodically reviewed at headquarters as well as field units.

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