Highway construction slows down to 28.64 km a day in FY22: Official

New Delhi: India's national highway construction slowed to 28.64 km a day in 2021-22 due to COVID-19 pandemic related disruptions and a longer-than-usual monsoon in some parts of the country, Union Road Transport and Highways Secretary Giridhar Aramane said on Wednesday.

The pace of national highway (NH) construction in the country had touched a record 37 km per day in 2020-21.

"The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) through its various implementing agencies has constructed 10,457 km of highways during the last financial year (2021-22), while highway projects of 12,731 km were awarded in the last financial year," Aramane said. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) are primarily responsible for the construction of national highways and expressways across the country.

Asked about the reasons for the slowing of the pace of highway construction, he said, "Because of pandemic related disruptions and a longer-than-usual monsoon season in some part of the country, the pace of highway construction slowed down". In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari had recently said the ministry has constructed 10,237 km in 2019-20, and 13,327 km in 2020-21.