Government Allocates ₹9,599 Crore for National Highways Maintenance in FY25
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Synopsis
The Indian government has allocated ₹9,599 crore for maintaining the National Highways network in FY25. Short-term and performance-based maintenance contracts cover over 23,000 km of highway, ensuring quality upkeep and road safety improvements.
Key Takeaways
- Government approves ₹9,599 crore for NH maintenance.
- Short-term and performance-based contracts cover over 23,000 km.
- Focus on innovative technologies for better road durability.
- Regular assessments ensure quality maintenance.
- Blackspot rectification measures are in progress.
New Delhi, March 27 (NationPress) In a significant move to sustain the extensive National Highway (NH) network, the government has sanctioned short-term maintenance contracts (STMC) covering a length of 17,884 km, amounting to ₹2,842 crore, alongside performance-based maintenance contracts (PBMC) for 6,118 km, costing ₹6,757 crore, for the fiscal year 2025, as announced by Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, on Thursday.
In a formal statement presented in the Lok Sabha, the Minister emphasized the government's commitment to prioritizing the upkeep of the existing NH network and establishing a system that guarantees maintenance and repair of all NH segments through a reliable maintenance agency.
Currently, there are 1,310 NH projects spanning 31,187 km with a total investment of ₹8.11 lakh crore underway in the nation.
While STMC contracts typically last for 1-2 years, PBMC contracts extend over approximately 5-7 years.
The government promotes the use of innovative technologies or methodologies to enhance the longevity and decrease the maintenance necessities of NHs, taking into account variables such as rainfall, terrain type, and soil category.
Road condition evaluations are performed using a Network Survey Vehicle (NSV) for the NH sections prior to the commencement of work, before issuing the completion certificate, and subsequently at regular six-month intervals post-completion, thereby facilitating quality assessments of NHs consistently, stated the minister.
Furthermore, the government is implementing the Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) on NHs with four lanes and above.
"The ATMS incorporates various electronic enforcement devices that assist in the rapid identification of incidents (including traffic violations) along highway stretches and effectively monitors the highways, thereby enhancing incident response times and road safety,” remarked Gadkari.
Measures for road safety engineering and works on NHs are being undertaken, including the rectification of blackspots.
Out of the 13,795 black spots identified on the NHs up to 2021-22, short-term rectification measures have been completed on 11,515 black spots, while permanent rectification measures have been finalized on 5,036 black spots, as per the government.
