Around Rs 7 lakh crore to be spent for highways sector in next 5 years

New Delhi: It would cost about Rs 6.92 lakh crore for the development of national highways in the country during the next five years, Parliament has been told.

Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Mansukh Lal Mandaviya told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply said that this requirement will be met from the Gross Budgetary Support of the Ministry, the Central Road Fund, Toll remittance, Monetization of National Highways through Toll-Operate-Transfer (TOT) model, external borrowings by National Highway Authority of India and private sector investment.

He also informed that the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has identified 208 level crossings on National Highways for construction of ROBs under Setu Bharatam Scheme and feasibility study of 87 ROB projects has been completed so far.

In a separate written reply, Mandaviya informed the House that the Government encourages the use of plastic waste in construction of National Highways specially within 50 km periphery of the urban areas having population of 5 lakh or more. However, at present, no National Highway has been constructed using plastic waste.