Panaji : Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said that lengthy land acquisition procedures were delaying major infrastructure projects in Goa and has advised the state government to hire retired officials to hasten the process.

“I suggested them to take some retired people. The National Highways Authority of India will pay them. We should have more people. Maximum of the problems are related to land acquisition. That is the reason we are taking more people to strengthen the land acquisition department,” Gadkari told reporters on the sidelines of a government event here.

The Minister also said that the delays in the execution of major projects were due to inflating costs.

“Work is going on everywhere from Maharashtra border to the Karnataka border. So we need the process of land acquisition to become faster, otherwise, we cannot… It is very important as far as the cost factor is concerned,” he said.

At a review meeting with state Public Works Department on Monday, Gadkari had expressed unhappiness at the slow pace of the redevelopment of the Goa section of the Mumbai-Goa Highway.

—IANS