Making a low-profile entry to road transport and highways ministry, new incumbent CP Joshi said he will establish transparency in the functioning of his ministry. Without making any personal references, the minister said quality rather than quantity will be the new focus of the ministry under him.He also refrained from setting any road construction target considering the ruckus it created during the term of his predecessor Kamal Nath. Excerpts from Joshi’s interaction with FE’s Praveen Kumar Singh:
Kamal Nath had focused on increasing the pace of road construction in the country. What challenges will you seek to address?
Quality of infrastructure is the key driver of growth in any country. So the first task is to see that the roads are of best quality and are constructed on time to prevent cost escalation. I am looking at ensuring transparency and accountability in the ministry’s functioning.
I will try to perform the task at hand to the best of my abilities and as per public expectations.
Your predecessor had set a target of 20-km road construction per day and has achieved 12 km. How do you plan to take the work forward?
This is too early for me to comment on that. First, let me meet the secretary and other officials of the ministry and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to understand the sector better and then I can present my outlook.
NHAI has been unable to award projects to the extent required. It’s reputation has also been tainted by a scam in awarding project. Do you plan to bring in efficiency in the nodal body?
It is challenging but the Prime Minister has given me a task and there are great expectations of proper leadership from me. I will work towards restoring the reputation of NHAI and making it more efficient.
Land acquisition remains a major hurdle in road construction. What are your views on this?
The government is considering an amendment in Land Acquisition Act for infrastructure projects. We will see that a proper compensation is paid to the person from whom the land is acquired and the land is put to the right use.
