The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) has created a record by constructing 534 kilometres of National Highways (NHs) in the week that began January 8.

The Ministry has constructed 8,169km of National Highways from April 2020 to January 15, 2021 in the current financial year 2020-21, which translates into around 28.16km per day. During the same period in the last fiscal, 7,573km of roads or 26.11km per day were constructed,.

MoRTH says it is hopeful that with such a pace, it should be able to cross construction target of 11,000km by March 31.

The Ministry also awarded NH projects of 7,597 km during this period (April 2020 to 15 January 2021). In 2019-20, projects of 3,474km were awarded during the same period. Thus, the pace of award has also more than doubled this fiscal. In total, projects of 8,948km of roads were awarded in 2019-20 while 10,237 km of roads were constructed.

The achievement assumes significance given the fact that the first two months of the current fiscal were lost due to nationwide lockdown in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic.

Photos: Subhash Simhudu