The coronavirus lockdown across India has stalled the work in many sectors, including construction work on the highways. With a few restrictions being lifted starting April 20, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) hopes to resume work starting next week.

The NHAI plans to resume at least 50 percent of big-ticket projects that have been stalled due to the nationwide lockdown, now extended until May 3. Officials have told The Economic Times that they intend to resume works on the Mumbai-Delhi Expressway, which is likely to get permission from the local administration in Haryana and Rajasthan during the week.

The projects include the Amritsar-Jamnagar Expressway, Dwarka Expressway, and Trans Haryana North-South Expressway.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

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Owing to the lockdown, the availability of raw materials like cement, steel, etc, could be a hurdle. However, the NHAI officials claim that there is sufficient stock on project sites to resume work.

Further, the government authorities said work was likely to restart on highways and expressways where labour is stationed in camps at project sites. “So far as availability of labour is concerned, we have them available at project sites.... steel plants, refineries are running, so there should be no concern on raw material,” officials told ET.

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