Belying the Kerala government's claims that highway development is progressing quickly, sources in NHAI reveal that only 11 per cent of the funds allocated to the state for the financial year 2024-25 have been used to develop highway networks.

NHAI sources said that for the year, NHAI had approved a budget of close to Rs 23,000 crore to develop brownfield and greenfield projects. This is the highest budget allocation in the country. However, Kerala has so far spent only 11 per cent of it, i.e. Rs 2,500 crore. (Brownfield projects involve developing existing roads, while greenfield projects involve building a new highway.)

The Kerala budget is almost 12 per cent of the Rs 2 lakh crore total budget approved by the Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), headed by Nitin Gadkari.

While multiple reasons have been cited for the lag in spending, one major reason is the delay in acquiring land for the projects.

A case in point in the Thiruvananthapuram-Angamaly greenfield highway, where the detailed project report (DPR), but the project has been in limbo due to the sharing of land acquisition costs.

Several projects, including the outer ring road for Thiruvananthapuram city (for which Rs 1,400 crore has been budgeted), outer ring road for Navaikulam to Thekkada and Thekkada to Vizhinjam (Rs 3,000 crore), Malappuram-Nadukani highway (Rs 1,300 cr) have not progressed beyond budgeting.

Some projects, on the other hand, are progressing slower than expected, the sources said. Of the Rs 570 crore budgeted for the six-lane Azhiyur to Vengalam stretch, less than Rs 100 lakh has been spent so far.

NHAI sources pointed out that the unused funds will not lapse but will be carried over to the next financial year.

In his reply to a question from Thrikkakakra MLA Uma Thomas during the last Assembly session, Kerala Revenue Minister K Rajan said the state government was awaiting funds from NHAI to acquire land. He said the land acquisition for the Thiruvananthapuram stretch of the Kollam-Sengottai Highway, Thiruvananthapuram outer ring road and some parts of the Kollam stretch of Kollam-Sengottai NH has been stalled due to the non-availability of funds.

While Rajasthan (with an 82 per cent spend), Assam (80 per cent), and Himachal Pradesh (77 per cent) top the charts for the most funds used for highway development, Kerala ranks lowest even among other southern states.

Telangana tops that list with 60 per cent spent, sources said.

MoRTH has sanctioned a total of 40 projects covering a length of 1090.51 km at a cost of Rs 64587.09 crores in Kerala. So far, 12 projects in a length of 269.32 km at a cost of Rs 7371.52 crores are completed and the balance 28 projects covering 821.19 km at a cost of Rs 57215.57 crores are in various stages of construction. Two works amounting to Rs 45.15 crores are scheduled for award in February-March 2025, according to the reply furnished in the parliament by the Minister for Road, Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, in December 2024.