Soon after the Planning Commission proposed a separate ‘Expressway Authority of India’ to provide a dedicated body to handle all future expressway projects, the plan has been put on hold.

The Ministry of Shipping, Road transport and Highways has raised questions about the rationale for creating yet another agency like the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), when the latter itself is faced with a staff shortage.

“The plan for a separate expressway authority is as good as shelved. While the Plan panel had proposed this in the draft 11th Plan, along with a proposal to create 15,000 km of expressways, the ministry does not agree with it. When the NHAI, which implements all National Highway projects, is already facing a staff shortage, how will another authority be created and where will the staff for it come from?” asked a senior official.

The ministry made its reservations on the issue very clear in the Cabinet meeting held ten days back. Soon after, the proposal for a separate expressway authority, as delineated in the 11th plan draft document, was deleted, said officials.

“Another expressway authority would only result in duplicity of organisations. The NHAI is already mandated to create 1,000 km of expressways. The 450-km expressway between Vadodara and Mumbai is also under way under National Highway Development Programme (NHDP) Phase VI. The NHAI will be able to handle more expressway construction as well if needed. There is hardly any need for another authority,” added the official.

... contd.