Assures speedy environmental clearances
In a move that is likely to give a fillip to infrastructure
development in India, the Government has announced that it will invite China’s
People’s Liberation Army to bid for highway contracts.
Addressing a press conference today, Chairman
of the NHAI R.P Singh told reporters that the Government was impressed with the
PLA’s pace of project execution. “At first we thought this is a localized issue
in Ladakh but then we noticed road building activity in several other areas. We
carried out inspections and found that they had built an extensive network of roads and bridges throughout the region. We contacted the Union Cabinet for advice and an EGoM chaired by Mr. Sharad Pawar has decided that toll on these roads will be collected by IRB Infra."
Defending the move, the Minister for Roads Mr. C.P Joshi
said “They have constructed roads in Ladakh and Arunachal faster than we have
anywhere in India. Their quality standards are high, because unlike ours, their
roads did not get washed away in the monsoon. They are building sample roads in
border areas for free just to demonstrate their commitment.”
However, sources say that the reason the Government has
chosen the PLA is that no environmentalists were prepared to oppose the PLA’s
activity. “Ever since Mr. Gandhi retold the story of the Chinese bus driver at a
meeting of the NAC, no environmentalist has come forward to protest any Chinese
activity” he said.
It is rumored that the Government is also considering
outsourcing emergency services to China, including the rescue of people knocked
down by cars.
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