PM’s steering group sets deadlines for key infrastructure projects

A steering group set up by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to accelerate infrastructure investment, at its first meeting today, finalised deadlines and time lines for intermediate steps for some of the key infrastructure projects.

The steering group, headed by principal secretary to the prime minister, will monitor the progress on the intermediate steps on a regular basis so as to ensure the projects meet their deadlines.

The time lines will also help to ensure that ministries and departments are clear about not just the overall deadline but also all the intermediate steps that need to be completed so that there are no slippages, according to a statement issued by the prime minister's office.

Ministries and departments have been asked to nominate a nodal officer each, of the rank of a joint secretary or above, who will report on a weekly basis on the progress of their department's project(s).

In addition, the committee agreed to resolve the issue of the request for qualification for the Mumbai Elevated Rail Corridor Project by the ministry of railways within a week.

On the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC), the railways will provide exact timelines on completion of the Khurja-Kanpur, Kanpur-Mughalsarai and Mughalsarai-Sonnagar stretches. On the Ludhiana-Dadri stretch, for which funding has yet to be fully tied up, the steering group will review the matter in four weeks, after the committee on financing projects in Railways completes its work.

While pursuing the three expressways - Eastern Peripheral, Delhi-Meerut and Mumbai-Vadodara – the ministry of road transport and highways will also work on the financial model for the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway. The pre-feasibility report will be completed by 15 August 2013 and the progress on this will also be monitored for early award. It, however, did not give a deadline.

Requests for qualifiction for ultra mega power projects (UMPPs), which were invited as per old documents, will now be based on new documents.

For transmission projects, the ministry of power will try to award the 13 identified transmission projects as per the agreed timelines.

With regard to new airports, in addition to Navi Mumbai, the ministry of civil aviation will make efforts to move ahead on Goa (Mopa) airport as well. The ministry will also work towards awarding OMT contracts for 4-5 airports by 31 March 2014.

The meeting decided on the following deadlines