NHAI turns lockdown into opportunity to redress disputes, review projects on war footing

Turning the COVID-19 lockdown into an "opportunity", highways regulator NHAI is working on a war footing to resolve disputes worth a staggering Rs 80,000 crore, besides reviewing projects to expedite work.

"During this lockdown period, we are holding five to seven video conferences every day to find resolution to disputes through reconciliation to be ready with all the ground work.

"Normally what would take months together has been done during the lockdown," NHAI Chairman S S Sandhu, who was on an inspection of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway project when PTI contacted him, said.

Sandhu and other top brass of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) have been on an inspection spree of projects, taking the benefit of no traffic on otherwise congested highways.

NHAI, an official said, has at least 180 cases in arbitration involving a sum of about Rs 80,000 crore.

Sandhu told PTI that as a result of intensive meetings, NHAI is in a position to place all matters before the ...