Road Transport Ministry Proposes Dedicated Unit In NHAI For Highway Management

Initiating a major overhaul in the infrastructure sector, the Ministry of Road Transport has proposed setting up a dedicated Corridor Management Unit (CMU) in the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to focus on the operation and maintenance of highway stretches.

According to a report from Times of India, this proposal to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) comes as the length of widened national highways has doubled over the past decade, with projections indicating a further increase to 89,900 km by 2037 and 1.27 lakh km by 2047.

The setting up of CMU, will thus, address the availability of trained manpower to manage the highway stretches efficiently.

In a presentation to the PMO, the road transport ministry has emphasised the necessity of strengthening NHAI, especially as it plans to develop an additional 60,555 km of NHs. The focus will shift towards managing and maintaining these stretches in the next 14-15 years, necessitating preparation for the transition.

Furthermore, the ministry has proposed increasing the sanctioned staff strength, especially in technical posts to meet the work requirement in the next 13-15 years and to increase the NHAI permanent cadre to 90 per cent of the total sanction to “build continuity and deep expertise” in road management.

Currently, half of the employees are on deputation, leading to challenges in long-term commitment and accountability.

The ministry has raised concerns about staff on deputation, noting that they often serve for a fixed term before returning to their parent organisations. This results in a lack of long-term commitment to NHAI's projects and goals, leading to discontinuity in projects requiring sustained oversight.

Additionally, the ministry highlighted the issue of limited accountability in cases of default or non-compliance, as disciplinary action against staff on deputation is restricted.