NHAI extends bidding deadlines of 1,000 km roads by a month

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has extended bidding deadlines of around 1,000 km of road construction projects worth Rs 50,000 crore by a month amid the second wave of Covid-19. Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari had issued the directive to NHAI considering the rising number of cases due to the second wave of Covid-19. The deadlines for these projects have been extended because of restrictions that could hamper site visits and due diligence by potential bidders, a senior government official told the media. While new bids will continue to be invited, the postponement of existing bid deadlines could hurt NHAI’s target of awarding about 2,500 km of road projects in the first quarter of FY22. Most of these projects are being offered on engineering procurement construction (EPC) and hybrid annuity models (HAM), the official said. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) constructed a record 13,298 km of highways in FY21, as against around 10,240 km in FY20, which made approximately 30% y-o-y growth and a pace of 36.4 km/day. On the award front, 10,467 km of projects were awarded, up by 17% over 8,948 km in the preceding year. Image Source Also read: NHAI says labour crunch unlikely to impact highway construction Also read: Nitin Gadkari: India made world record for fastest road construction