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NHAI says labour crunch unlikely to impact highway construction

2021-04-22

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) told the media that highway construction is unlikely to have an impact considering the requirement of labourers and concessionaires as the second wave of Covid-19 makes its way into the country, adversely impacting various industry sectors.

Concessionaires have shown optimism in a review meeting taken by NHAI chairman S S Sandhu to take stock of the unfolding situation in the wake of the second wave of the Covid-19.

Sandhu told the media that NHAI kept a close watch on the developments and will issue written communications to the developers on the dos and don'ts if needed.

Despite losing the best construction months to Covid 19-related lockdown, NHAI constructed 4,192 km of national highways in 2020-21, the highest-ever in a single financial year. In 2019-20, NHAI had constructed 3,979 km of highways and 3,380 km in 2018-19.

Last year, the authority awarded 141 projects for a length of 4,788 km, the highest in the last three years compared to 3,211 km in 2019-20 and 2,222 km in 2018-19.

During the first quarter in 2020, daily road construction during the three-month-long nationwide lockdown hovered around 18 km a day as the government and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) used labour optimally to complete work with minimal hindrance.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had constructed 1,640 km of roads in the first quarter (April-June) of the financial year 2020-21 (FY21). During this period, it awarded contracts for 1,658 km of highways.

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