Highway Projects: Gadkari on Rs 7.8 Lakh Crore Plan

New Delhi, Aug 6 (PTI) Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said 1,240 national highways projects in 29,406 km, costing Rs 7.80 lakh crore, are currently under construction in the country, of which 15,674 km have been completed.

These projects are under various stages of construction and are scheduled for completion in a phased manner by the financial year 2028-29, Gadkari said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.

The ministry of road transport and highways is primarily responsible for the development and maintenance of National Highways (NHs) and Expressways.

Responding to a separate question, the minister said that during the current Financial Year 2025-26, the government has prepared the annual plan for the development of about 19,555 km of NHs, including about 548 km in the State of West Bengal.

He also said a total of 4,557 electric vehicle Public Charging Stations (PCSs) have been installed on the State/National Highways and Expressways in the country.

The minister said the government has prioritised the maintenance of the existing national highways network and has evolved a mechanism to ensure maintenance and repair (M&R), including timely repair of potholes on all NHs, through accountable maintenance agencies.

NHs' development projects are executed mainly in three modes-- Build-Operate and Transfer (BOT), Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) and Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC).

Concession period, including maintenance for projects on Build-Operate and Transfer (BOT), is 15 to 20 years, and on Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) is generally 15 years.

The Concessionaire is responsible for the maintenance of the respective NH stretches within the concession period of the project. Only in the case of EPC projects, the Defect Liability period (DLP) is 5 years for the bituminous pavement works and 10 years for concrete pavement works.