New Delhi, Sep 28: According to Union minister Nitin Gadkari, the government is developing a plan to guarantee that there are no potholes on national highways by the end of the year and that built-operate-transfer (BOT) roads are favoured since they are better maintained. The Road Transport and Highways Ministry is finalising performance-based maintenance and short-term maintenance contracts with the goal of having all national highways free of potholes by the end of this year.BOT, Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC), and Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) are the three main methods used to build roads. “Roads built under the EPC style need maintenance very quickly, whereas roads built under the BOT mode are better built because the contractor is aware that he will be responsible for paying for upkeep for the next 15-20 years. At a media briefing on several projects of his ministry, the Road Transport and Highways Minister stated, “That is why we have decided for the construction of roads under the BOT mode in a big way.” Gadkari said the government is conducting a safety evaluation of the nation’s highways, noting that rainfall can damage highways and result in potholes.According to him, a programme is being developed to guarantee that there are no potholes on the nation’s highways, and young engineers will be employed to help the effort succeed. Anurag Jain, the secretary for road transport and highways, stated that the ministry has completed the mapping of the 1,46,000 km of national highways and is finalising performance-based maintenance and short-term maintenance contracts to fill potholes by December of this year. BOT projects entail the risky funding, construction, and operation of transportation projects for a concession period of 20–30 years by private investors. User fees or tolls are subsequently used by the developers to recoup their investments.In EPC projects, the developer is paid by the government to build the highway, and the government keeps the toll money. (Agencies)
