National highway projects delayed over land acquisition hurdles & forest clearances: Gadkari

Bhubaneswar: Land acquisition hurdles and delays in securing forest clearances have slowed the execution of some national highway projects, leading to cost and time overruns, Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.In response to a question by BJD MP Sasmit Patra, the minister clarified that non-availability of funds or funding constraints had not contributed to slow progress or cost escalation.The minister said work on five high-level bridges on NH-326 (Malkangiri-Motu road) had been terminated due to slow progress by the contractor. “The remaining work has been sanctioned and is now at the bid stage for selection of a new contractor,” he added.Gadkari said the development of national highways is an ongoing process aimed at strengthening connectivity to aspirational districts, tribal regions, industrial hubs, tourist centres and heritage sites. “Periodic reviews are held at various levels to resolve bottlenecks and ensure timely progress of road projects in these regions,” he told the Upper House.He further said his ministry is primarily responsible for developing and maintaining the national highway network.

Planning is undertaken based on traffic demand, connectivity needs, regional development priorities and the existing highway grid. In Odisha, the total NH length is about 5,872 km across all 30 districts, including around 156 km in Gajapati, 143 km in Malkangiri, 233 km in Kandhamal and 109 km in Rayagada — adding up to around 641 km across the four districts.Responding to another question from BJD MP Muzibulla Khan, Gadkari said the Centre allocated Rs 6,121 crore to Odisha in 2024-25 for the development and maintenance of national highways. The state received Rs 5,948 crore in 2023-24 and Rs 4,643 crore in 2022-23. He also informed that 1,418 km of national highways are currently under development in the state.