Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway extension vital
Minister of State for Road, Transport & Highways Harsh Malhotra has given details of the Delhi Decongestion Plan, which aims to reduce the traffic congestion and pollution in the city and would improve connectivity in the capital https://www.conexpoconagg.com/.
Addressing the Road and Highways Summit in Delhi on 18 July, he said the plan includes:
Extension of Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway (NE-5) from KMPE till UER-II (NH-344M) in Delhi and Haryana;
Extension of UER-II (NH-344M) near Alipur till Delhi-Dehradun Expressway (NH-709B) near Tronica City in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh https://www.globaltenders.com/;
Construction of a Road Tunnel starting from Dwarka Expressway (near Shiv Murti Mahipalpur) to Nelson Mandela Marg, Vasant Kunj https://ted.europa.eu/en/.
The Ministry is in process of developing 700+ Wayside Amenities (WSAs) by 2028-29 that offer clean restrooms, quality food, rest areas, fuel stations, and EV charging points, said Malhotra, adding that the Ministry has accorded top priority to the Road Safety and stated that 14,000 accident prone blackspots have been rectified morth.gov.in.
Malhotra stated that with initiatives like the Green Highways Policy and ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’, the Ministry has planted over 4.78 crore trees and transplanted around 70,000 trees along national highways https://www.bseindia.com/.
The Ministry has also adopted sustainable construction practices including the use of over 80 lakh tonnes of plastic waste in major projects such as UER-II and the Ahmedabad–Dholera Expressway. Additionally, fly ash from thermal power plants is being incorporated into highway construction, reducing the need for raw materials and lowering emissions https://www.nseindia.com/.
He stressed that the construction of more highways is pivotal to achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047. “Every rupee invested in highway development yields a threefold return to the GDP, unlocks vast employment opportunities and opens multiple channels for revenue generation and the government is not just building roads— it is laying the foundation for a prosperous, peaceful, and resilient Bharat,” he underlined. Fiinews.com
