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Half of NHAI’s 600 contracts disputed, chief seeks remedy
With the highway authority finding half of its 600 contracts in the last 10 years locked in disputes, its chairman has exhorted National Highways Authority of India officials to take a leaf off private developers to see how they can minimize such legal challenges.
NHAI chairman Raghav Chandra was referring to the fact that private developers have been more nimble in strengthening their legal cells unlike the highway authority.
NHAI has 123 cases for a claim amount of more than Rs 25,000 crore pending before arbitration tribunals. Another 30 cases involving disputed amounts of Rs 14,500 crore are pending before its internal dispute resolution committees.
There are also over 2,000 cases that are pending before different high courts and the Supreme Court. Nearly 43,000 cases, mostly related to land acquisition, are pending in different lower courts across the country. “It’s a mammoth task as the number of litigations is increasing. We have to find ways to minimize them at every level from the field officers to those sitting at the headquarters,” said an NHAI official.
Speaking at the inauguration of a conference organised by the highway authority , Chandra said disputes in highway projects should be resolved expeditiously and ideally always on the ground. “The fewer the disputes, the faster they are resolved, the better the governance,” he said. Cameron Payne Womens Jersey
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