"With the intent to speed up the tendering process, the defence ministry has now enhanced the powers of the chief engineer for acceptance of bids with cost of contract up to Rs 100 crore and that of ADG for cost of contract up to Rs 300 crore. In a departure from the earlier policy, full powers in this regard have now been delegated to the DG. "The Ministry of Defence in consultation with the armed forces would identify the roads to be entrusted to the BRO and fix priorities by approving the Long Term Roll-On Works Plan and Annual Works Programme for the BRO. Thereafter, powers related to the execution of works have been delegated to be exercised by different levels within the BRO," it said.To ensure accountability, software is being developed for an online monitoring of progress of works. "It is expected that with the delegation of powers by the Ministry of Defence to the BRO, the pace of road construction in border areas would improve and the BRO would be able to complete ongoing/new projects in a compressed timelines," the ministry said.

Source: Economic Times August 20, 2017 13:18 UTC