Clear backlog before new projects: CII

“If procedural delays and implementation work is not completed on the already announced projects,starting new ones would only lead to a longer list of unfinished projects,” a senior infrastructure analyst based in Mumbai said. Counter cyclical measures will be effective only if investments announced translate into ground work rather than remaining on paper he added.

Topping the list are the phase II and III of the national highway development programme (NHDP) with an estimated investment of over Rs 1,60,000 crore. While NHDP projects have seen a completion of 50 per cent in phase II and 4 per cent in phase III,delays are mounting with the government having postponed the bid submission date by over a month in November 2008.

Following these are Kolkatta-Ludhiana freight corridor and gas based fertiliser plants at Panipat,Bhatinda and Nangal. The latter two together need an investment of about Rs 53,000 crore,with Rs 25,000 crore being sought for the fertiliser plants alone. While the freight corridor has failed to take off on expected lines due to unfavourable response from central government,the fertiliser plants are stuck due to government’s policy on fuel upgradation.

Of the total 28 projects,19 are awaiting approvals required from the centre and state governments. These include Rs 7,196 crore North Karanpura power project in Jharkhand,Rs 6,500 crore Kalyani Steels-backed West Bengal steel project,Rs 6,000 crore Noida SEZ initiated in 2006,Rs 5,600 crore chemical hub project at West Bengal,Rs 4,000 crore Akaltara ultra mega power project and Rs 4,000 crore budget hotel for Indian Railways.