Transport ministry sends back NHAI note
By Our Infrastructure Bureau
July 27, 2010
The Union surface
transport ministry has returned the draft cabinet note on setting
up of the expressway authority to the National Highways Authority
of India (NHAI).
It will be more than three months before the note can go for
Cabinet approval.
Once the NHAI finishes fine-tuning of the provisions related to the
formation of the authority, we will initiate seeking of stakeholder
response. In three months’ time, the transport ministry will
approach the Planning Commission, after which the matter will go to
the Cabinet.
The ministry has asked NHAI to make provisions for an integrated
commercial, industrial and housing development on the alignments of
the greenfield expressways.
The plan to form the expressway authority was announced by surface
transport minister Kamal Nath in July last year. NHAI prepared the
draft cabinet note on the proposed authority two months ago.
As per the draft Cabinet note prepared by the NHAI on the behest of
the ministry, a grant of Rs10,000-crore has been proposed from the
gross budgetary support as a start-up fund for the expressway
authority.