New Delhi: The Ministry of Road Transport
and Highways has started the site selection process for the
proposed mega-road projects in the country.
Minister for Road Transport and Highways Kamal Nath last
year announced the setting up of mega-road projects in the
country, entailing an investment of about Rs 5,000 crore each.
These projects would help in the road-building programme of
the government.
"Process of project (mega road project) selection is on,"
a road ministry official said.
He said, "The cost of one project is estimated to be
around Rs 5,000 crore and the length about 500 km and we would
take up 3-4 projects initially."
The cost of constructing one kilometre of road varies
from Rs 6 crore to Rs 16 crore, depending upon the condition
of the roads.
The government has set a target for constructing 35,000
km of highways in the next five years under the National
Highways Development Programme (NHDP), which will require an
estimated investment of about USD 60 billion. Out of this, USD
40 billion will come from the private sector.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has
estimated its annual borrowings from the domestic and
international market to be more than Rs 4.3 billion for the
next 15 years.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, June 13, 2010, 18:03