Lok Sabha Question No. 1081 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-05
Subject: Delay in Construction of National Highway in Maharashtra
Ministry: ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
Asked by: Smt. Supriya Sule, Shri Mohite Patil Dhairyasheel Rajsinh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1081 ANSWERED ON 5 TH  FEBRUARY, 2026

## DELAY IN CONSTRUCTION OF NATIONAL HIGHWAY IN MAHARASHTRA

1081. SMT. SUPRIYA SULE: SHRI MOHITE PATIL DHAIRYASHEEL RAJSINH:

Will the MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS सड़क परिवहन औि िाजमार्ग मंत्री

be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Union  Government  has  taken  note  of  the  reported slowdown in National Highway construction in Maharashtra, including the total  length  constructed  during  the  last  five  years,  year-wise  and  the progress achieved in 2024-25 vis-à-vis the targets fixed for 2025-26;
- (b) whether major highway, expressway or corridor projects in the State have  been  delayed  or  stalled  and  if  so,  the  project-wise  reasons,  cost overruns and revised timelines;
- (c) whether the impact of land acquisition delays, financing constraints, contractor capacity issues and pending clearances has been assessed; and
- (d) the  steps  taken  to  expedite  stalled  projects,  improve  coordination with  the  State  Government,  ensure  timely  fund  release  and  mitigate adverse effects on employment, rural connectivity and industrial logistics in Maharashtra?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS (SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)

- (a) The  details  of  the  target  set  and  achievement  for  construction  of National  Highways  (NHs)  in  Maharashtra  during  the  last  five  years  is  as under:

| Financial Year          |   Length of NHs constructed in Maharashtra |
|-------------------------|--------------------------------------------|
| 2020-21                 |                                       2870 |
| 2021-22                 |                                       1534 |
| 2022-23                 |                                       1087 |
| 2023-24                 |                                       1463 |
| 2024-25                 |                                       1203 |
| 2025-26 (upto Dec 2025) |                                        552 |

The target for 2025-26 for length of NH constructed in Maharashtra is 990 km.

- (b) to (c) There have been delays in completion of some NH projects due to existing Right of Way (ROW) disputes, delays in land acquisition, forest as well as wildlife clearances,  delays  in utility shifting  and  other  preconstruction  activities  as  well  as  cash  flow  issues  with  some  of  the Contractors.  All  the  pending  issues  have  been  substantially  resolved  and these  delayed  projects  are  targeted  for  completion  within  the  revised timelines in a phased manner.
- (d) In order to ensure timely completion of NH projects, the Government has undertaken various initiatives. These include streamlining and expediting land acquisition using 'Bhoomirashi' portal and GIS-based Land Acquisition Plan, revamping 'Parivesh' Portal to facilitate faster forest and environmental clearances, enabling online approval of General Arrangement  Drawings  (GAD)  of  Road  Over  Bridge/Road  Under  Bridge (ROB/RUB) from the Railways, and leveraging the mechanism of review and resolution  of  bottlenecks  /  hindrances  in  ongoing  projects,  in  active collaboration with the State Governments and other stakeholders. Railways  has  also  launched  a  web  portal  for  Railway  related  clearances with defined timelines for various approvals.

The Government has put in place a strong framework using multiple mechanisms for monitoring project progress and contractor inefficiencies. Regular review meetings are conducted at various levels with stakeholders to assess project progress, and critical projects, such as those delayed by more than three years or pending for award / appointment. In  addition  to this,  liquidated  damages  have  been  imposed  against  the  Contractors  for delays attributed to the Contractors including termination of the Contract and  awarding  the  balance  works  at  risk and  cost of the previous Contractors.

Further, many State Governments conduct coordination meetings led by  the  Chief  Secretary  to  resolve  issues  affecting  project  execution. Projects where issues remain unresolved are escalated for further review through the Project Monitoring Group and 'PRAGATI'.

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