Bansi Lal told a seminar on build, operate and transfer (BOT) projects for highways and bridges that the massive investment is to be made in road sector during the current financial year including Rs 156 crore for works to be carried out on national highways. He said the concept of BOT system was a recent development in the country, which was gradually finding acceptance.

He said the existing infrastructure in the state was inadequate for the increasing traffic.

"There is an annual requirement of Rs 130 crore for proper maintenance of existing road infrastructure," he said, adding a sum of Rs 5000 crore would be required to improve the entire infrastructure of state highways and other connecting roads.

He said the system of BOT would help in meeting this requirement of the state and urged theengineers, entrepreneurs and financial institutions to suggest ways and means to make bot system a success in the state. Chairman and managing director of Housing and Urban Development Corporation (Hudco), V Suresh who was also present on the occasion said the World Bank had projected a nine per cent increase in the passenger traffic and 11 per cent increase in the goods traffic in their study on Indian transport system.

He described the BOT system as an innovative approach to allow the private sector to participate in the infrastructure development. BOT concept was being vigorously applied in the sectors of power, ports telecommunications, water supply and even toll roads, he said adding that the Central government had taken a number of steps to attract private investment in the road sector.