Four/six laning of eighty four per cent of Golden Quadrilateral has been completed as on 30.6.2005.  There has been some delays in some of the contracts pertaining to Golden Quadrilateral Project.  However, it is expected that the projects would be substantially completed by December 2005.  It is also estimated that the actual expenditure on the project will not differ much from the estimated cost, allowing for escalation.

The Government has taken several steps to expedite the project.  These are:

(a)                The Contracts are regularly monitored at various levels such as by Supervision Consultants/Independent Engineers, Project Directors, National Highways Authority of India officials at Headquarters.

(b)                 State Governments have appointed Senior officers as nodal officers for resolving problems associated with implementation of the National Highways Development Project such as land acquisition, removal of utilities, forest/pollution/environment clearances etc.

(c)                 A Committee of Secretaries has been constituted to address inter-ministerial and Central-States issues such as land acquisition, utility shifting, environment approvals, clearance of Road Over Bridges etc.

(d)                 To expedite the construction of Road Over Bridges, an officer of the Railways has been posed to National Highways Authority of India to coordinate with Railways.  Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with M/s IRCON International Ltd.

This information was given in the  Rajya Sabha today in a written reply by the Minister of State for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, Shri K. H. Muniyappa.

VBA/BS