Nitin Gadkari: Delhi-Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway on fast track, committed to shift Kherki Daula toll plaza

The union minister for road transport and highways, Nitin Gadkari, on Friday concluded a two-day review meeting in Manesar, to take stock of the various NHAI projects.

The union minister for road transport and highways, Nitin Gadkari, on Friday concluded a two-day review meeting in Manesar, to take stock of the various NHAI projects. Gadkari said that the Delhi-Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway will be completed in the next three years and the work on the project is going on at a good speed. The minister, however, failed to provide any relief to the commuters of New Gurugram regarding the shifting of the Kherki Daula toll plaza, but promised that the shifting is a matter of priority.

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Shifting of Kherki Daula toll plaza

“The case is presently being heard by the Delhi High Court. All I can say is that the matter has legal ramifications,” said Gadkari. He also accepted that there are a few issues with the implementation of FASTags and that the NHAI officials were looking into all problems.

Delhi-Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway

About the Delhi-Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway, Gadkari said, “We are hopeful that within the next three years this project will be completed. This route will go past the backward and the tribal areas of Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh and will act as a new growth engine for these five states, along with Delhi.” He also stressed on the development of smart cities all along the highway.

The total length of the Delhi-Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway is 1,290 km. There are two starting points for commuters: One is from Gurugram on Sohna Road and the second is from Delhi-Noida Direct flyway (DND).

In the press briefing, NHAI officials had said that there are a total of 51 packages in this project of which 18 packages have been awarded.

Gadkari also emphasised the fact that the NHAI has aligned the Delhi-Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway with the tribal areas, thereby saving on land acquisition costs. “The existing alignment of Delhi-Mumbai highway is from Delhi towards Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Mumbai. The land acquisition cost, which was ₹6 crore per hectare, has come down to ₹80 lakh per hectare. We have saved a lot of money in this project. Had we gone from Delhi, Vadodara, Surat, the land acquisition cost would have gone up,” said Gadkari during the press conference.

Repair of Hero Honda Chowk

Gadkari further announced that by February 15, the Hero Honda Chowk flyover will be opened. “This flyover, which is being repaired, will much stronger and last for the next five years,” said Gadkari. In May 2019 a deck slab from the flyover caved in, prompting the NHAI to repair the entire damaged slab.

Speaking about NHAI’s ambitious project in the city, Gadkari said that they are considering starting a sky bus route from Dhaula Kuan to Manesar . “Around 260 people can sit in this bus at one go. This bus is functional in Philippines. Some studies have been done in this regard, I will be conducting a meeting with NHAI officials about this,” said Gadkari.

The minister also spoke about converting the highway into an electric one.Speaking about the review meeting, Gadkari said that they have reviewed around 730 projects. “All problems and their status have been reviewed,” said Gadkari.

Launch of GATI

The minister also launched an online web portal, called GATI, which can be accessed from the NHAI website and contractors/concessionaires can raise any project-related issues on the portal. “This portal will help NHAI to complete projects on time. This will lead to transparency and encourage time-bound decisions,” said Gadkari.

Gadkari added that the NHAI is working on projects worth ₹55,000 crore to decongest the national capital. “We have also awarded work for the Dwarka Expressway,” he said.