Baalu asks states to develop highways on NHDP

New Delhi, May 25 (UNI) Road transport and Highways Minister T R Baalu today asked the states to formulate plans for developing and strengthening the state Highways on the lines of National Highways, which are being implemented under the National Highways Development Programme (NHDP).

Delivering the valedictory address at the Conference on 'Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in State Highways' here today, Mr Baalu said the Planning Commission had already written to the chief ministers suggesting the formation of a State Highway Development Programme (SHDP).

He said some of the states had already initiated ambitious programmes for such PPP projects while others were in different stages of the process. In this context, he singled out Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, which had adopted the PPP approach for development of roads in their states.

''If development of the National Highways is considered essential for the socio-economic development of the country, the State Highways are an equally important component in the infrastructure development roadmap of the country,'' he added.

Mr Baalu said the accelerated development of State Highways, in a phased and time-bound manner, would not only provide an improved hinterland connectivity but would also kickstart the socio-economic development in less developed regions of the nation.

''The State Highways need to be strengthened and developed on the lines of the development strategy envisaged for the National Highways of the country,'' he added.

The minister said state highway development programmes could be taken up by creating bodies like the NHAI. ''The state governments may evolve a suitable mechanism for harnessing the benefits of the PPP regime for all round development of the State Highways.'' He also informed that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had been vested with sufficient powers to sanction projects on a fast-track basis. ''The NHAI is also being strengthened further to enable it to take up larger programmes at an accelerated pace,'' he added.

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