Project Management scheme being finalized
Work at the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is being decentralized with the division of departmental power, Minister of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) Nitin Gadkari told a webinar on 16 June 2020.
“Reforms in NHAI are long overdue,” he said at the webinar on ‘Impact and Investment Opportunities in Roads & Highways,’ hosted by ASSOCHAM.
“I am of the opinion that we should issue an order whereby without the Ministry’s permission, NHAI should not constitute any committee. They have become so dependent that every person tries to avert decision making at his end,” said the Minister.
“There is also negativity and those who have a positive mind-set are afraid to take decisions and forward it to committees that consume a lot of time,” he elaborated.
While India’s ranking has also improved in the World Bank Ease of Doing Business Rankings, still certain steps need to be taken and bring in transparency to improve the working in the system.
“To further improve, we will sit together and work on reforms for NHAI,” he assured.
“For ease of doing business, we need positivity, transparency, corruption-free system. Performance audit should be conducted and decision making should be fast-tracked.”
The MoRTH will fix the responsibility in a case when the court gives a decision against the Ministry and on the basis of that it should be seen who is accountable for such a decision, he stressed.
Gadkari also informed the webinar participants that a project management consultancy scheme has probably been finalized. It will prove to be very fruitful, be it in terms of technology and other related aspects of the road infrastructure sector.
He reminded the industry to reduce the cost of construction by using different types of materials.
“Savings using bitumen (and) concrete designs of flyovers from competent consultants. The industry may come to me with new technology and I will consider their request,” the Minister reassured.
Low hanging fruits like reducing construction costs, revamp of NHAI, digital transfer of money by incorporating the latest information technology would give relief to the industry.
Complementing Gadkari, ASSOCHAM president Dr. Niranjan Hiranandani noted that the government, through a series of initiatives, is working on policies to attract significant investor interest.
But the industry needs a strong handholding from Government so that it become self-reliant in the near future, added B.K. Goenka, ASSOCHAM’s immediate past-president and chairman of the Welspun Group. fiinews.com
