85 Under-Construction National Highway Projects Delayed
ROADS & HIGHWAYS

85 Under-Construction National Highway Projects Delayed

85 under-construction National Highways (NH) projects are delayed by more than three years, the Road, Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari informed the Rajya Sabha. The minister attributed the prolonged timelines to a range of procedural and implementation challenges that have affected progress. The disclosure followed a written reply submitted to the Upper House detailing the current status of ongoing NH work.

The minister stated that bottlenecks relating to land acquisition, statutory clearances and permissions, shifting of utilities and removal of encroachments have been significant impediments. Law and order issues and financial constraints that affect the implementation capacity of concessionaires and contractors have further contributed to extended schedules. Instances of poor performance by contractors and force majeure events such as the Covid-19 pandemic and changes of law were also cited as causes of delay.

The government has introduced measures to reduce recurrence of delays and to contain cost escalation. These include streamlining land acquisition and compensation processes by using the BhoomiRashi portal integrated with the Public Finance Management System (PFMS) and a GIS based Land Acquisition Plan, and revamping the Parivesh portal to accelerate forest and environmental clearances. The ministry has also enabled online approval of the General Arrangement of Drawings (GAD) for Road Over Bridges and Road Under Bridges and strengthened mechanisms for review and resolution of bottlenecks in ongoing projects.

Officials indicated that the combined approach of digital tools, procedural reforms and focused oversight is intended to enhance implementation efficiency and reduce time overrun. The measures are designed to address systemic obstacles and to improve coordination among agencies responsible for clearances and land related processes. Continued monitoring and periodic review are expected to help bring delayed NH projects back on schedule and to limit further cost escalation.

85 under-construction National Highways (NH) projects are delayed by more than three years, the Road, Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari informed the Rajya Sabha. The minister attributed the prolonged timelines to a range of procedural and implementation challenges that have affected progress. The disclosure followed a written reply submitted to the Upper House detailing the current status of ongoing NH work. The minister stated that bottlenecks relating to land acquisition, statutory clearances and permissions, shifting of utilities and removal of encroachments have been significant impediments. Law and order issues and financial constraints that affect the implementation capacity of concessionaires and contractors have further contributed to extended schedules. Instances of poor performance by contractors and force majeure events such as the Covid-19 pandemic and changes of law were also cited as causes of delay. The government has introduced measures to reduce recurrence of delays and to contain cost escalation. These include streamlining land acquisition and compensation processes by using the BhoomiRashi portal integrated with the Public Finance Management System (PFMS) and a GIS based Land Acquisition Plan, and revamping the Parivesh portal to accelerate forest and environmental clearances. The ministry has also enabled online approval of the General Arrangement of Drawings (GAD) for Road Over Bridges and Road Under Bridges and strengthened mechanisms for review and resolution of bottlenecks in ongoing projects. Officials indicated that the combined approach of digital tools, procedural reforms and focused oversight is intended to enhance implementation efficiency and reduce time overrun. The measures are designed to address systemic obstacles and to improve coordination among agencies responsible for clearances and land related processes. Continued monitoring and periodic review are expected to help bring delayed NH projects back on schedule and to limit further cost escalation.

Related Stories

Gold Stories

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

KONE Opens India's First Digital Experience Centre in Pune

KONE, a global elevator and escalator manufacturer, has inaugurated its first Digital Experience Centre (DEC) in India, located in Pune. The facility aims to showcase how artificial intelligence (AI), connectivity and data-driven technologies can enhance customer experiences and improve building operations.The centre was inaugurated by Jussi Herlin, Executive Vice Chair, KONE Corporation; Philippe Delorme, President and CEO, KONE; and Nandan Nilekani, Co-founder and Chairman of the Board, Infosys.Designed as an interactive customer environment, the facility demonstrates digital solutions cover..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

CII GreenCo Launches Circularity Guidelines for Indian Industry

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) GreenCo Council has launched the CII GreenCo Circularity Guidelines – Pilot Version at the 17th CII GreenCo Waste & Resource Management Summit 2026 in Chennai. The initiative aims to strengthen resource efficiency, waste reduction and circular economy practices across Indian manufacturing and process industries.The guidelines introduce a structured framework with circularity indices covering raw materials, consumables, packaging and other resource inputs. These indicators will help industries assess existing practices, identify opportunities to ..

Next Story
Infrastructure Energy

Global Electronics Association Launches IPC-1783-CO2E Standard

The Global Electronics Association has introduced IPC-1783-CO2E, a new international standard aimed at improving consistency, transparency and comparability in product carbon footprint reporting across the electronics manufacturing industry.The standard, titled International Standard for Data Collection and Reporting of CO2 Equivalent (CO2e) Emissions for the Electronics Manufacturing Supply Chain, provides industry-specific guidance for collecting, estimating and reporting carbon emissions data.With increasing regulatory requirements and customer expectations, electronics manufacturers face c..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

SPECIAL OFFER
QR Code