The Bharatmala Pariyojana is rapidly adding more kilometres to the road network in India. India’s largest expressway, 1,386 km long, is being built between Delhi and Mumbai under the scheme. The Delhi – Dausa – Lalsot section of this expressway is already operational. In fact, national highways running over 50,000 kilometres have been added in the past nine years, and the speed of construction increased from 12 to 29 kilometres per day. The systematic push through the corridor-based National Highway development approach to ensure infrastructure symmetry and consistent road user experience pushed the pace of nationwide construction.
India has the world’s second largest road network, around 63.73 lakh kilometres. The Bharatmala Pariyojana aims to optimise the efficacy of the transportation of goods and people across the nation. A recent press statement released by the I&B Ministry mentions that Phase I of the Bharatmala Pariyojana, approved in 2017, aims to build 34,800 kilometres of National Highways to bridge critical infrastructure gaps.
The main components of the Pariyojana are Economic Corridors development, National Corridors Efficiency Improvement, Inter-corridor and feeder routes development, Coastal and Port Connectivity Roads, Border and International Connectivity Roads, and Expressways.
