Nitin Gadkari to Inaugurate Two-Day Event; Five Key Issues, From Project Bottlenecks to Land Acquisition, to Be Discussed

New Delhi, October 4 (HS): The Central Government will organise ‘Chintan Shivir-2026’ in Ekta Nagar, Narmada district, Gujarat, on October 5 and 6 to deliberate on developing safe, high-quality and future-ready highway infrastructure across the country. The two-day conclave will bring together representatives of the Central and state governments, Public Works Department officials, project implementation agencies and other stakeholders.

According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the primary objective of the conclave is to identify major bottlenecks affecting the implementation of highway projects and explore practical and innovative solutions to address them. Deliberations will also focus on policy and institutional reforms aimed at improving project quality, road safety, efficiency and timely execution.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari will inaugurate the Chintan Shivir on October 5. Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Ajay Tamta and Harsh Malhotra will also be present on the occasion. Ministers of Road Transport and Public Works from various states, senior officials, representatives of project implementation agencies and experts will also participate in the conclave.

According to the ministry, the conclave will serve as an important platform for strengthening coordination between the Centre and the states. Experiences from different states, practical solutions emerging at the ground level and best practices will be shared during the event. This will help in formulating a coordinated strategy to address challenges encountered in the implementation of highway projects.

Five key themes will be taken up in separate sessions over the two days. These include PM Gati Shakti and integrated infrastructure planning; land acquisition and the Bhoomi Rashi portal; Model Concession Agreements and rating mechanisms; designing safe highways; and quality assurance and project monitoring.

The PM Gati Shakti session will focus on the coordinated development of various infrastructure projects. The session on land acquisition and Bhoomi Rashi will deliberate on bottlenecks arising during project implementation and possible solutions. Discussions on Model Concession Agreements and rating mechanisms will cover contractual and implementation-related issues.

The session on designing safe highways will emphasise making road safety an integral part of the planning and construction process for highways. The session on quality assurance and project monitoring will examine measures to ensure construction quality, strengthen monitoring mechanisms and deliver better project outcomes. The ministry expects the Chintan Shivir to promote new practices and improved institutional mechanisms in highway development.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar