The ministry has started a feasibility study of the existing state highways to declare them national highways (NH) running through different states. This will mean a better maintenance and upgrade of the highways as once they are declared NH. The Centre will maintain these roads by redesigning it.Recently, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia had written to Road Transport and Highways Minister C P Joshi to finalise the list of roads to be upgraded by the end of this month.Though the states have submitted the proposals to upgrade 62,000 km of state highways to NH, the Centre had decided to convert only 10,000 km in next two years. The Karnataka government alone submitted 35 proposals, comprising 8,020 km state highways to be converted as NH. “The ministry will study each proposal whether it financially viable before taking any decision,” a senior official in the Ministry told Deccan Herald.Since 2008, the Centre had notified 4,178 km state highways (2008-09: 3,794 km and 2009-10: 384) as NH. It did not declare single kmas NH in 2010-11 and this year so far.This year, the government intends to award 7,300 km of highway stretches as part of its drive to build 20 km a day. So far, the Road Transport and Highways Ministry and the National Highways Authority of India have only managed to step up the award process to 20 km a day, but the pace of construction activities remained at four to five km a day. Actual construction of 20 km a day is only expected to commence by 2014.To construct 10,000 km, around Rs 70,000 crore is required and the governmentexpectsinvestment of Rs 60,000 crore under the PPP (public-private-partnership) model.PM’s criticismPrime Minister Manmohan Singh, who revived the highway building activities recently, had pulled up the Road Ministry for sluggish progress in awarding projects and asked it to expedite the process.Now, of the 3.3 million km road network, National Highways constitute around 70,548 km and it carries about 40 per cent of the total road traffic.Long road ahead* The Union Ministry of Highways and Road Transport begun study of existing state highways.* Karnataka submitted 35 proposals, comprising 8,020 km state highways to be converted as NH. * Since 2008, the Centre had notified 4,178 km state highways (2008-09: 3,794 km and 2009-10: 384)* Plans to award 7,300 km of highway stretches this year.* At present, of the 3.3 million km road network, NHs costitute 70,548 km. [More]Tags:chethan kumarbangaloremetromediascrutinynamma metrobangalore metro rail corporation limited