Lok Sabha Question No. 6398 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-04-02
Subject: Expansion of National Highway Infrastructure in Coastal Regions
Ministry: ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
Asked by: Shri Rajmohan Unnithan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6398 ANSWERED ON 02 ND  APRIL, 2026

## EXPANSION OF NATIONAL HIGHWAY INFRASTRUCTURE IN COASTAL REGIONS

6398.   SHRI RAJMOHAN UNNITHAN:

Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

सड़क परिवहन औि िाजमार्ग मंत्री

be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has undertaken major highway development projects in coastal regions of the country to improve connectivity between ports, industrial corridors and tourism destinations;
- (b) whether it is a fact that delays in land acquisition, environmental clearances and contractual issues have affected timely completion
- of certain highway projects;
- (c) whether the Government has established any monitoring mechanism  to  ensure  that highway  construction projects are completed within stipulated timelines; and
- (d) the steps taken or proposed to strengthen road infrastructure in coastal districts to support economic growth and regional connectivity?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

(SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)

- (a) Government  in  Ministry  of  Road  Transport  and  Highways  is primarily responsible for development and maintenance of National Highways (NHs). Government has taken up development of coastal roads (generally within 50 km of the coast). Additionally, connectivity of ports as per the prioritization of Ministry of Shipping, Ports and Waterways and connectivity to Industrial nodes as per the priority  of  National  Industrial  Corridor  Development  Corporation (NICDC) are also taken up for development to reduce logistics costs and improve freight efficiency, which will act as driver to economic growth.

At  present,  1,244  NHs  projects  in  about  27,300  km  length costing  about  ₹7.60  Lakh  Crore  are  under  construction  in  the country  for  improving  connectivity  across  the  country  including Coastal Regions, Ports, Economic, Industrial, Tourist and Religious centres / nodes.

- (b) and (c) Delays  in  NHs  projects  are  primarily  due  to  issues  / bottlenecks  relating  to  land  acquisition,  statutory  clearances  / permissions,  utility  shifting,  encroachment  removal,  law  &  order issues, financial crunch affecting implementation capacity of Concessionaire  /  Contractor,  poor  performance  of  Contractor  / Concessionaire, Force Majeure events etc.

The  Government  has  taken  number  of  steps  to  expedite  the completion  of  projects  in  the  country.  These  include  streamlining and expediting land acquisition using 'Bhoomirashi' portal and GISbased  Land  Acquisition  Plan,  revamping  'Parivesh'  Portal  through Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  and  Climate  Change,  to  facilitate faster forest and environmental clearances, enabling online approval of  General  Arrangement  of  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.  Government  has  also launched a web portal for Railway related clearances with defined timelines for various approvals.

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. 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  also  through 'PRAGATI'. (d) There  is  substantial  progress  in  strengthening  coastal  NH infrastructure,  with  a  majority  of  the  network  already  operational. Out of about 6,144 km of NH network along the country's coastline, 4,322  km  has  already  been  completed,  and  1,033  km  is  under implementation.  Remaining  NHs  projects  are  at  various  stages  of approval.

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