According to sources, the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) has set an internal goal to construct at least 45 km of roads per day this year. At this pace, a record-breaking 16,000 km of roads will be constructed in a year. India is anticipated to speed up highway construction this fiscal year, building the longest road ever in a single year, despite the prospect of a global economic recession.
Despite having finished a record 13,298 km (36.4 km/day) in the pandemic-hit year of 2020-2021, the ministry failed its road building targets for the preceding two fiscal years, prompting the establishment of this difficult aim. After that, the speed dropped to about 29 km in FY22, and it is predicted that it would stay there in FY23. According to data that is available up to February 2023, the previous fiscal year saw only 24 km of daily road construction, leading to 8,064 km of highway building.
As delays in clearances, land acquisition, and rising input costs could impede some unprofitable road projects with unattractive traffic projections for investors, the official target may be set slightly lower than the government's desired daily construction rate of 45 km, closer to the 12,200 km of last year. All road construction companies have been asked to expedite highway construction and address any issues preventing it. The ministry is also planned to conduct a number of high-level inter-ministerial conferences with officials from state governments in order to address project- related difficulties and begin work immediately.
