Srinagar, Dec 05 : The Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Jairam Gadkari on Thursday informed the Lok Sabha that 2,074 kilometres of national highways were maintained, repaired and improved under various types of Maintenance and Repair (M&R) works over the last five years in Jammu and Kashmir.
The year-wise details of the work completed are as follows: 429 kilometres in 2019-20, 429 kilometres in 2020-21, 454 kilometres in 2021-22, 334 kilometres in 2022-23, and 428 kilometres in 2023-24.
The minister, according to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said the government has prioritised the maintenance of the existing national highway (NH) network and developed a mechanism to ensure the Maintenance and Repair (M&R) of all NH sections 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 said.
Similarly, for NH stretches under the Toll Operate and Transfer (TOT) and Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT) models, the M&R responsibility remains with the concerned concessionaire until the end of the Concession Period, he added.
For all remaining NH stretches, the minister said, the government has decided to undertake maintenance works through Performance-Based Maintenance Contracts (PBMC) or Short-Term Maintenance Contracts (STMC), he added—(KNO)
