-The Indian Express Two years back, 27 high-density national highway corridors were awarded amid much fanfare to developers who outbid competitors by promising to pay the government a "premium", instead of the general practice of seeking a capital grant from the Centre. Of these projects, all of which were touted as a testimony to renewed investor confidence in the roads sector, 24 sections worth a whopping Rs 34,000 crore and spanning...

-The Telegraph The National Highways Authority of India has accused the Planning Commission of "inconsistencies in stand", saying they are creating confusion and delaying decisions on its projects. NHAI chairperson R.P. Singh has quoted instances - in a letter to commission member B.K. Chaturvedi - where the Planning Commission had taken a diametrically opposite stand from its earlier position that investors should be allowed to exit from finished projects rather than wait...

-The Indian Express Stepping in to resolve the row between the National Highways Authority of India and the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) over forest clearance to linear projects, the Prime Minister’s Office Tuesday worked out a formula to end the embarrassing stand-off between two arms of the central government. A meeting called by the PMO decided the MoEF will submit a clarification delinking environmental clearance from forest clearance for linear...

-The Telegraph The Prime Minister’s Office is playing referee in the tussle between the environment ministry and the National Highway Authority of India over clearance for road projects. In a meeting of stakeholders held in the PMO today, the environment ministry agreed to relax norms for project clearance and issue fresh guidelines that would simultaneously address green concerns and not stall road development. The NHAI has also given an understanding that if clearance...

-The Times of India From now, highway development agencies won't have to apply separately for mining of soil/ earth for such works. As per new norms devised by the environment and forests ministry (MoEF), the highways ministry or any other agency such as NHAI can apply for clearance for getting soil/earth in one go when they apply for environment clearance. The "workable" decision was taken after highways ministry received support from law...