Rajendra Pal Singh, a retired bureaucrat, is tipped to be the next chief of the national highways authority of India (NHAI), according to highly placed sources.

Singh retired as secretary of the department of industrial policy and promotion in October 2011. The sources in the road transport and highways said three names shortlisted for the top post are Singh, RC Mishra, central provident fund commissioner and AV Sinha, who retired as director general (roads) in the same ministry.

The short-listing came after the ministry received close to 70 applications in reply to its advertisement in February.  The ministry has forwarded the applications of the three shortlisted candidates to the appointments committee of the cabinet (ACC).

ACC sources too confirmed that Singh was leading the race, pending the eligibility clearance from the chief vigilance commission (CVC), prime minister’s office and cabinet secretariat. The decision could be announced early next week, they said.

Without an administrative head, the NHAIs’ growth is getting retarded with crucial decisions left hanging. The nation’s main road-building organization does not have a full-time chairman since January 2011 when Brijeshwar Singh retired as chairman. RS Gujral, who was then road transport and highways secretary, was given the additional charge. When Gujral became finance secretary last year, AK Upadhyaya, the incumbent secretary, was given the additional charge of the organisation.