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Govt to decide on laying telecom ducts along Golden Quadilateral
New Delhi, Nov 18: The government today said it would take a decision in ``due course of time`` on the controversial issue of laying telecom ducts along the 10,000-km-long Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) and north-south corridor after studying suggestions from various quarters.
New Delhi, Nov 18: The government today said it would take a decision in ''due course of time'' on the controversial issue of laying telecom ducts along the 10,000-km-long Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) and north-south corridor after studying suggestions from various quarters.
''We are in the process of taking a decision on the issue,'' roads, transport and highways minister B C Khanduri told mediapersons after inaugurating a two-day seminar, organised by the Indian Roads Congress.
However, he refused to give any timeframe in this regard. The ministry had proposed to lay ducts along GQ to lease them to telecom service providers.
On allegations by some members of parliament that laying ducts is not the core area of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), Maj Gen (Retd) Khanduri said the expertise could be developed if the project was viable and in the national interest. These MPs had also stated that since NHAI did not have a licence for the same, it will be illegal on its part to lay the ducts.
NHAI had issued tender notices for the Rs 800-crore project in late June but had to postpone the bid dates as many as four times.
On a proposal to impose an additional cess of 30 paise on petrol and diesel to partly fund the second phase of the Rs 54,000-crore national highway development project, the Union minister said the decision falls under the purview of the finance ministry. '' it is for the finance ministry to decide whether the project would be funded by way of cess or through other means.'' The GQ, connecting the four metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata with four or six-lane highways, is expected to be completed by December 2003.
Of the entire NHDP, funds for the Rs 25,055-crore GQ have been tied-up while the financial closure for north-south corridor, joining Kashmir with Kanyakumari, and east-west corridor, linking Silchar with Porbandar and 1,000 km of port connectivity was yet to be achieved.
Earlier addressing the seminar on ''financial management and institutional reforms in highway sector,'' Khanduri said time was running out for establishing road networks in the country. The number of vehicles on roads has been growing at the rate of 50 lakh per year. There are 5.50 crore vehicles at present against three lakh in 1993.
He urged participants to deliberate on ways to avoid time and cost overruns in road projects.
Bureau Report
However, he refused to give any timeframe in this regard. The ministry had proposed to lay ducts along GQ to lease them to telecom service providers.
On allegations by some members of parliament that laying ducts is not the core area of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), Maj Gen (Retd) Khanduri said the expertise could be developed if the project was viable and in the national interest. These MPs had also stated that since NHAI did not have a licence for the same, it will be illegal on its part to lay the ducts.
NHAI had issued tender notices for the Rs 800-crore project in late June but had to postpone the bid dates as many as four times.
On a proposal to impose an additional cess of 30 paise on petrol and diesel to partly fund the second phase of the Rs 54,000-crore national highway development project, the Union minister said the decision falls under the purview of the finance ministry. '' it is for the finance ministry to decide whether the project would be funded by way of cess or through other means.'' The GQ, connecting the four metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata with four or six-lane highways, is expected to be completed by December 2003.
Of the entire NHDP, funds for the Rs 25,055-crore GQ have been tied-up while the financial closure for north-south corridor, joining Kashmir with Kanyakumari, and east-west corridor, linking Silchar with Porbandar and 1,000 km of port connectivity was yet to be achieved.
Earlier addressing the seminar on ''financial management and institutional reforms in highway sector,'' Khanduri said time was running out for establishing road networks in the country. The number of vehicles on roads has been growing at the rate of 50 lakh per year. There are 5.50 crore vehicles at present against three lakh in 1993.
He urged participants to deliberate on ways to avoid time and cost overruns in road projects.
Bureau Report