SRINAGAR: Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Jairam Gadkari, informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday that 2,074 kilometres of national highways have been maintained, repaired, and improved under various Maintenance and Repair (M&R) works over the last five years in Jammu and Kashmir.
The year-wise breakdown of completed work is as follows
2019-20: 429 kilometres
2020-21: 429 kilometres
2021-22: 454 kilometres
2022-23: 334 kilometres
2023-24: 428 kilometres
The minister stated that the government has prioritised the upkeep of the national highway (NH) network and established a robust mechanism to ensure Maintenance and Repair (M&R) through accountable maintenance agencies.
“For NH stretches where development works have commenced or where Operation, Maintenance, and Transfer (OMT) Concessions or Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Contracts have been awarded, the responsibility of M&R lies with the concerned concessionaires or contractors until the end of the Defect Liability Period (DLP) or the Concession Period,” Gadkari explained.
Additionally, for NH sections under the Toll Operate and Transfer (TOT) and Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT) models, the M&R responsibilities rest with the respective concessionaires until the conclusion of the Concession Period.
For all remaining NH sections, the minister mentioned that the government has decided to carry out maintenance through Performance-Based Maintenance Contracts (PBMC) or Short-Term Maintenance Contracts (STMC). (KNO)
