Government plans to lay 30 km of roads per day in the next two years, up from the current level of 11 km a day, Rajya Sabha was informed today.

“We want to build 30 km of road in the next two years,” Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said while replying to a question during Question Hour.

At present, 11 km of road are being laid each day which is likely to go up to 15 km by the end of March this year, he said.

Delhi-Agra Highway toll collection

To another question, the Minister said the toll collected on the Delhi-Agra Highway by DA Toll Road, which is an SPV of Reliance Infra, was being kept in an escrow account following a CAG report.

In December last year, the CAG report had said by the end of August 2013, DA Toll Road collected a toll amounting to Rs 120 crore.

Project completion delays

The minister also said that National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has been facing serious delays in project completion on account of various factors including land acquisition, environment and forest clearance.

“It has now been decided that unless possession of land to the extent of at least 80 per cent for BOT and 90 per cent EPC projects is available, no project shall be awarded,” Gadkari said.

The government would come out with a new “model agreement” for road projects, the Minister said.

Efforts were on to bring down the burden of toll on the common people and a report in this regard would be put up before the Cabinet to see what relief could be given, he said.