The government has planned to award 9,500 kilometres of national highways for widening and upgradation in the current fiscal for creating better road infrastructure in the country. Addressing a function in New Delhi today, Minister for Road and Highways, Mr C P Joshi said, Centre is making all efforts to achieve the contructuion of 20 kilometres road per day.

He said, to achieve this target, there is a need to synergize the efforts in a positive and pro-active manner. The minister informed that a record length of 7957 kilometres of national highways were awarded for strengthening, upgradation and improvement and over 2200 kilometres were completed during 2011-12.

Mr Joshi said that his ministry has planned to award road projects covering four thousand kilometres for better maintenance primarily under through Public Private Partnership . Mr Joshi said, in order to accelerate roads construction in the country, the cabinet has accorded its approval to the Engineering, Procurement and Construction, EPC, contract document. It will minimise, if not eliminate, the time and cost over run of projects. He has the ministry is also planning to award 4 thousand kilometres of highway project under the EPC mode contract this year.