BJP’s infrastructure plan

In what could be termed a supplementary manifesto, focusing exclusively on infrastructure development, the BJP on Tuesday released a vision document on infrastructure promising to take up 100 projects of national importance (PNIs) and time-bound implementation of them. Unveiling the document just ahead of second phase of polls in the country, the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate said this was neither a supplementary manifesto nor a course correction, but was always part of the party policy for decades now. Squarely blaming UPA for neglecting infrastructure development, particularly roads, Advani gave a graphic account of highway development stating that the country, in the first 50 years of Independence, had built 556 km of 4 and 6-lane highways at the rate of 11 km per year. “The NDA, during 1998-2004, built 25,000 km of 4 and 6-lane highways at the rate of 11 km per year. This is an achievement and report card before the people. A future NDA will speed up building highways at the rate of 20 km per day,’’ Advani told reporters here after releasing the document. Citing that national river-linking project, Golden Quadrilateral and north-south-east-west corridor were some of BJP’s vision on infrastructure, the party promises to create a top-level managerial empowerment environment for the emergence of 100 Sreedharans (Delhi Metro Rail Corporation chief) who can make things happen. This is in addition to setting up of a high-power National Infrastructure Facilitation and Monitoring Agency (NIFMA). “Rapid infrastructure development is critical for accelerated economic growth, removal of unemployment, bridging rural-urban divide, broad-basing prosperity, both geographically and socially, and ensuring a better life for every citizen,’’ Advani maintained. Referring to city development, the vision document talks about revamping Jawaharlal Nehru National Renewal Mission (JN-NURM) by bifurcating it into four renewal missions — Jawaharlal Nehru Metro Renewal Mission; Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel District Centre Renewal Mission; Netaji Bose Tehsil-Town Renewal Mission and Pavitra Bharat Teerthasthan Renewal Mission. “At least 15 Indian cities will be developed as global cities in five years, with world-class airports, efficient mass transport systems and high quality social infrastructure. At least 10 new cities will be developed on futuristic standards of planning and infrastructure,’’ Advani claimed.