In a bid to revamp the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) after its dismal progress with the National Highways Development Programme (NHDP), the government has moved a bill in Parliament to increase the strength of its full-time and part-time members.

The bill tabled by, surface transport minister T R Baalu seeks to increase the full-time members in the Authority from five to six and part-time members from four to six. The amendments are sought to allow induction of professionals of repute in the fields of financial management, transportation and planning and other relevant areas.

Induction of outside professionals will enhance the capacity of the Authority to take strategic decisions, widen its perspective, bring best management practices and assist in achieving the goal of higher private participation, Baalu said in statement of objects and reasons for the Bill. The salaries and allowances of additional full-time and part-time members of NHAI shall be paid by the Authority.

The restructuring of NHAI includes the selection of the chairman by a search committee headed by the cabinet secretary and comprising secretary of the department of road transport & highways, secretary Planning Commission, a CMD or MD of a financial institution and one of the directors of one of the Indian Institutes of Management.

As a part of the restructuring NHAI would have full-time members for finance, administration, public private partnership (PPP), projects and technical. Two additional part-time members would be from the non-government sector, one from IITs/IIMs and the other from financial institutions. The Government has also approved creation of twenty six (26) posts of chief general managers (CGMs) over and above the existing thirteen (13) posts of CGMs.