Government approves 8 highways worth ₹50,655 Crore

Eight additional roadways totaling 935 km have been approved by the government in an effort to stimulate economic growth and generate 44 million man-days of employment.

In an effort to become a developed nation by 2047, the government approves the construction of eight new highways at a total cost of ₹50,655 crore. Information and broadcasting minister Ashwini Vaishnaw adds that the project, which aims to expand infrastructure across the nation, approves by the cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA), which is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to Vaishnaw, the eight new roadways, which have a combined length of 935 km, will be positioned along several economic corridors and should encourage the expansion of industry. In an effort to become a developed nation by 2047, the government on Friday approved the construction of eight new highways at a total cost of ₹50,655 crore.

According to Vaishnaw, these roadway projects will create 44 million man-days of employment and need a little amount of land acquisition by utilising already-existing brownfield area. The new access-controlled motorways in Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh are intended for high-speed traffic with controlled access. Considering that Jharkhand and Maharashtra will host assembly elections at the end of this year, road projects approved for more than ₹50,000 crore will have a big political impact. A 68-kilometer ring road in Ayodhya, at ₹3,935 crore, a 121-kilometer ring road in Guwahati, worth ₹5,729 crore, an 88-kilometer Agra-Gwalior corridor, worth ₹4,613 crore, and a 231-kilometer Kharagpur-Moregram corridor, worth ₹10,247 crore, are among the approved projects.

It also includes a ring road around Kanpur that is 47 km long and costs ₹3,298 crore, a 30 km elevated corridor between Nashik Phata and Khed that costs ₹7,827 crore, a 214 km long Tharad-Deesa-Mehsana-Ahmedabad corridor that costs ₹10,534 crore, and a 137 km segment between Pathalgaon and Gumla that costs ₹4,473 crore. According to Vaishnaw, these projects were approved following an analysis of data from the PM Gatishakti Portal and will be essential to the economic expansion of the nation. He says that the states would be involved in the development of these highway projects as well, and that “the Centre will construct ring roads in Ayodhya and Guwahati following consultations with the states.” The four-lane, 121km Guwahati ring road will be developed using the build-operate-toll style, while the 68km Ayodhya ring road, meant to encourage religious tourism to the Rama shrine, will be developed under the hybrid annuity system. According to Vaishnaw, the ₹10,247 crore, four-lane Kharagpur-Moregram high-speed corridor will connect the northeastern region of the country with West Bengal, Adhra Pradesh, and Odisha. It will span 231 kilometres.

Requiring an investment of 10,534 crore, the 214km, six-lane Tharad-Deesa-Mehsana-Ahmedabad high-speed corridor is going to link the Amritsar-Jamnagar and Delhi-Mumbai routes, improving freight efficiency to important ports in Maharashtra, including the newest Vadhavan port. The Centre plans to invest ₹4,473 crore to build a four-lane, 137-kilometer highway that will connect Pathalgaon and Gumla along the Raipur-Ranchi corridor, improving connectivity between the mining and manufacturing districts of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. According to Vaishnaw, Uttar Pradesh will receive an additional six-lane greenfield ring road encircling Kanpur. The estimated cost of this 47-kilometer road is ₹3,298 crore.

In an effort to improve freight transportation between the industrial sectors surrounding Pune and Nashik, the government is planning to construct a 7,827 crore, 30-kilometer long, eight-lane elevated highway between Nashik Phata and Khed in Maharashtra, according to Vaishnaw.

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