Expressway authority to be set up: Kamal Nath

New Delhi, July 14

A separate authority will be constituted soon for expediting development of expressways, Road Transport and Highways Minister Kamal Nath said here Tuesday.

“I am examining the possibility of setting up an expressway authority,” Kamal Nath said at a conclave on national highways.

“There is a highway authority. Let there be an expressway authority as well.”

The minister also said that road building meant a lot more to the country than just ensuring connectivity.

“We have to understand that with the world economy in stress, road building is not just a connectivity activity but also an economic stimulus,” he said.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the conference, Kamal Nath also noted that there was need to make radical changes in the way his ministry operated.

“The ministry for road transport and highways needs a complete overhaul. We have to set strict time-bound targets to achieve our goal of constructing 7,000 km of road per year,” he said.

In what could be another impetus to the development of roads in the country, the ministry is also mulling setting up a Road Finance Corp this year on the lines of the Power Finance Corp.

The corporation will help increase public investment in road building and make credit available to such projects.

“This expressway authority along with Road Finance Corp are part of this year’s target plan that we are going to announce soon,” said Kamal Nath.

Last updated on Jul 14^th, 2009 at 12:18 pm IST--IANS

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