“The bill has limited scope, that is to increase the number of permanent and part-time members in NHAI,” Road Transport and Highways Minister Oscar Fernandes said in the Upper House.

Responding to queries of some members on pitiable condition of roads causing accidents and growing corruption in the system, he said “I am very much concerned about this” and adequate measures will be taken to address these issues.

Fernandes said advanced technology is being used at present to repair roads wherever necessary to ensure maintenance-proof highways.

A direction has also been issued to see maintenance work on roads are completed much before monsoon season, he added.

At present the NHAI consists of a chairman, up to five full-time members and up to four part-time members.

The Bill seeks to expand the Authority and it will now consist of a chairman, up to six full-time members and six part-time members.

It mandates that at least two of the part-time members must be non-government professionals with knowledge or experience in financial management, transportation planning or any other relevant discipline.

Induction of outside professionals is expected to enhance the capacity of the NHAI to take strategic decision, widen its perspective, bring in the best management practices, and assist in achieving the goal of higher private participation.

Earlier, participating in the discussion on the bill, members expressed grave concern over the pitiable conditions of national highways leading to a large number of deaths due to accidents.

Gyan Prakash Pilania (BJP) said there was hardly any logic to increase the number of full-time member by just one, particularly when 16 people die on Indian roads every hour.

“It is not a matter of BJP or Congress or any other party …1.43 lakh people died on Indian roads in 2011. India tops the list in the world…,” he said.

“This is because of bad roads, bad management,” he said. Narendra Kumar Kashyap (BSP), who said his party would support the amendment, attributed deaths on roads to mismanagement and wondered why the government could not find a solution.

Highlighting the pitiable condition of roads, particularly NH-31 that passes throughWest Bengal, Prasanta Chatterjee (CPI-M) said the present functioning of NHAI was not up to the mark.

Arvind Kumar Singh (SP) said till efficiency is brought in the functioning of NHAI, amendments will serve little purpose.

N K Singh (JD-U) said the Bill has failed to address the “endemic” problem afflicting the highway sector and wondered as to why NHAI chairman’s post was lying vacant for 17 months.

He said that while expanding the size of the NHAI Board, government should ensure that induction of a member from the private sphere does not lead to any conflict of interest.

K P Ramalingam (DMK) alleged that the “attitude of some political parties” are delaying execution of highway work in Tamil Nadu, a suggestion contested by V Maitreyan (AIADMK).

Raising the issue of the condition of highways in Maharashtra especially the condition of Mumbai-Pune corridor, Bharatkumar Raut (SS) favoured decentralisation of powers of NHAI for better road maintenance.

Anand Bhaskar Rapolu (Cong) suggested that toll plazas could be put to good use with provisions for attending to accident victims immediately.

Pyarimohan Mohapatra (Ind) suggested that the chairman of NHAI should be of the rank of secretary as against the provisions in the Bill where an officer of the additional secretary rank has been proposed to be the chairman.

Ravi Shankar Prasad (BJP) wanted to know when the Minister was “going to free national highways of corruption”.

Bharatsinh Prabhatsinh Parmar (BJP), R N Mohapatra (BJD), and D Bandopadhyay (TMC) also spoke.