Delhi approves payment of ₹3,700 cr for peripheral expressways

Delhi government approves ₹3,700 crore for land acquisition of Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways to improve traffic flow and air quality.

New Delhi

Officials said that the expressways have been operational since 2018 and that the dues remained unpaid for several years. (Representative photo)

The Delhi government has approved the payment of ₹3,700 crore due for land acquisition for the Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) and the Western Peripheral Expressway (WPE) projects, chief minister Rekha Gupta said on Saturday.

Officials said that the expressways have been operational since 2018 and that the dues remained unpaid for several years. The Cabinet has now cleared the payment, which will be done through a phased plan prepared by the Public Works Department (PWD).

CM Gupta said, “These expressways play a crucial role in diverting heavy vehicles away from Delhi. Clearing the dues will help ensure smoother traffic flow and contribute to improving air quality in the city.”

According to the plan, ₹500 crore will be released in the 2025-26 financial year and the remaining ₹3,203.33 crore will be paid in instalments over the coming years, subject to budgetary provisions. The payment will be made to the Union government or the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), officials said.

The EPE and WPE form a 270-kilometre-long access-controlled ring corridor around Delhi, with each expressway spanning around 135 km. Both six-lane expressways, operational since 2018, connect major national highways, including the NH-44 and NH-48, contribute to improved regional connectivity and reduce congestion within Delhi.

The expressways connect major nodes across neighbouring states, such as Kundli, Manesar and Palwal in Haryana, and Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar and Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, facilitating faster logistics movement and bypassing Delhi.

CM Gupta said the clearance of dues would also address long-pending intergovernmental financial issues. “With this decision, we are resolving pending financial matters and strengthening coordination with the Centre for infrastructure development,” she said.

Officials said that the expressways have contributed to reduced travel time and helped lower congestion on key routes within Delhi. Traffic pressure on corridors, such as the Ring Road, Outer Ring Road and national highways, passing through the city has seen a decline since the expressways became operational.

“The government will continue to prioritise infrastructure development in coordination with central agencies. Our focus is to ensure that critical infrastructure projects do not face delays due to financial constraints and that development work progresses in a time-bound manner,” CM Gupta said.