New Delhi: Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said that the Centre is set to invest Rs 10 trillion over the next two years in modernising the country’s road infrastructure, with a strong emphasis on the Northeast and border regions.
The initiative aims to bring the highway network on par with global benchmarks, particularly targeting the rugged terrains of the Northeast.
Gadkari said that the government’s infrastructure transformation drive would see Northeast highways rival those in the United States.
“We plan to take up projects worth Rs 10 trillion in the next two years. In the coming years, roads in the Northeast will match US standards,” he stated in an interview. Given the strategic significance and geographic challenges in the region, the minister emphasized the urgency of building robust road connectivity near the borders.
The infrastructure expansion spans across all states, with 784 highway projects lined up in eastern India alone. These projects, involving the Road Transport Ministry, NHAI and NHIDCL, will cover 21,355 km at a projected cost of Rs 3.73 lakh crore.
Current investments include Rs 57,696 crore in Assam, Rs 90,000 crore in Bihar, Rs 42,000 crore in West Bengal, Rs 53,000 crore in Jharkhand, and Rs 58,000 crore in Odisha. Excluding Assam, road projects worth Rs 1 trillion are planned for the rest of the Northeast in the current year itself.
Additionally, a mass rapid transport pilot project is being tested in Nagpur, featuring a 135-seater bus powered by clean energy. The Rs 170-crore project, if successful, could be replicated on major routes such as Delhi-Jaipur under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model.
India’s national highway network has expanded considerably, increasing from 91,287 km in 2014 to 1,46,204 km today. The percentage of highways below two lanes has declined from 30 per cent to just 9 per cent.
In FY 2024–25, the National Highways Authority of India exceeded its construction target by completing 5,614 km of roads, against the goal of 5,150 km.
