The ministry has said “action will be taken against those contractors who do not complete their work as per schedule and/or who continue the work in a tardy manner by terminating their contracts with NHAI and re-awarding the work on their risk and cost”.

“There are 9-10 pending works along NSEW. Though the cost involved is just above Rs 100 crore, some are likely to be terminated and re-awarded in case of further delays,” said a senior official from the ministry.

The CoS has also taken a strong view of the delay in awarding of contracts under the NHDP Phase II. Against a target of awarding 488.44 km length on projects up to November 2007, NHAI had only awarded 42.8 km. As against a target of awarding 811 km by March 2008, NHAI is likely to award not more than 130 km with mere 16 per cent achievement.

The Rs 30,000-crore NHDP Phase I, which envisages four-laned national highways between Delhi-Kolkata-Chennai-Mumbai-Delhi (GQ) and corridors connecting the northern and southern and eastern and western sections (NSEW) of India with four-laned highways, was approved in December 2000. The 7,498 km long NHDP Phase I is complete up to 6,984 km while 530-km length is still under implementation.