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The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is expected to build 350 more tunnels at a cost of ₹1 lakh crore going ahead, Roads and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday.
“Gradually, we have to build at least 350 tunnels at an additional cost of ₹1 lakh crore and these numbers are separate from the tunnels built by railways or hydropower. They have different tunnels,” Gadkari said in his address at an event organised by industry body ASSOCHAM.
At present, a total of 144 tunnelling projects with a length of 357 km costing ₹2 lakh crore are underway on India’s National Highways (NHs). Out of these, 30 tunnels comprising 45 km are in use, while another 16 tunnels totalling 120 km are under construction and should be completed in a year or two. Additionally, 54 tunnels are at the stage of Detailed Project Report (DPR), he added.
Improving performance and quality
Work allocation must be on the basis of competency. Priority should be given to the experiences of previous works while awarding a contract to any company or contractor in the tender process, and there should not be much emphasis on financial and technical criteria, the Minister said.
Also read:Pace of highway construction to edge up in FY24
Gadkari opined that financial audit is important, but performance and quality audit is more important. Technical and financial qualifications should be liberalised so that everyone who is involved in building tunnels in road, hydro or railways, should be allowed to participate in the bidding process of each and every tunnel project. Only then there will be competition and quality will improve.
‘Absolute clarity’
Road Secretary Anurag Jain said de-risking a project is conceptually the most critical step in project creation. “The true challenge lies in proper risk sharing, as failure to do so can lead to higher costs. It is my responsibility to engage with my colleagues and address any difficulties that arise in the department. Together, we must strive for absolute clarity on de-risking strategies,” he added.
Also read: A test drive through India’s road to the future
He also highlighted the need for effective risk-sharing to prevent unnecessary cost escalation. He acknowledged that de-risking projects require attention to detail and concerted efforts to ensure transparent risk allocation.
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