Srinagar, Dec 05: Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said that 2,074 kilometers 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.
Giving details in the Lok Sabha, he said 429 kilometers in 2019-20, 429 kilometers in 2020-21, 454 kilometers in 2021-22, 334 kilometers in 2022-23, and 428 kilometers in 2023-24.
The minister said the government has prioritized 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.