ÑDz©ÌåÓý¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³

The Union Road Ministry is prepared to submit a cabinet note for the second phase of India's massive Bharatamala project, which calls for the construction of over 5,000 km of expressways and highways at a cost of almost Rs 3 trillion. The ministry has already written the letter and approval is anticipated next month. Phase-2 approval has been expedited to enable Phase-1’s completion concurrently, which was delayed by five years as a result of disruptions from COVID-19 and delays in land acquisition. Although 5,000 km of roads are anticipated in the new phase, additional projects may be added. Six expressways and 17 access-controlled corridors with a combined length of over 8,100 km were originally envisioned as part of Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase II, with a total capital expenditure of about Rs 3.66 trillion. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) plans to publish tenders for the construction of some sections of the roads under Phase-2 as early as the first half of FY24 to ensure that a sizable portion of these expressways and highways is operational in time for the remaining Phase-1 projects, which are now expected to be finished by 2027. In order to facilitate seamless travel between important economic centres, Bharatmala Phase-2 seeks to improve connectivity to a number of infrastructure projects, including multi-modal logistics parks (MMLPs) and under-construction expressways. The development of highways, decongested roads around significant industrial hubs, and bypasses would also be included in the new phase. The creation of six important expressways with a combined length of 2,560 km would be the main focus of this large-scale undertaking. This will include 120 km long Kharagpur-Kolkata expressway that would also provide connectivity with an eastern dedicated freight corridor, 220 km Pune- Ahmednagar- Aurangabad expressway, 310 km Chennai-Tiruchirappalli expressway, 515 km Indore- Mumbai expressway that would also connect with under-construction Mumbai-Delhi expressway, 650 km Varanasi-Ranchi-Kolkata expressway and 745 km long Pune-Bengaluru expressway that would provide the longest expressway link via Delhi-Mumbai corridor. The preparation of detailed project reports (DPRs) for various projects under Bharatmala Phase-2 has been accelerated so that the award and construction of projects could be completed without delay. DPRs for several of the projects have already been done by NHAI while a few others would be available over next few weeks. Though the first phase of the project was conceived in 2015, land acquisition delays and late clearances, along with covid-19 disruptions have pushed the projects back to 2027, and escalating costs. With early clearance for phase-2, the lesson learnt from the previous round is expected to be used to maximise road works. Bharatmala aims to link several of the existing road infrastructure while providing better connectivity to various industrial corridors.