Mumbai, Oct. 29 -- Travel time between Delhi and Haridwar could fall to 90 minutes from next month, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) National Conference on Highways of India's Future: Smart, Safe and Sustainable. He said a new road project would improve connectivity between the national capital and Haridwar.
Gadkari cited road projects that have reduced travel times between Delhi and other cities. He said the journey between Delhi and Meerut had fallen from 3.5 hours to 40-50 minutes, while the Delhi-Dehradun route had been reduced from seven hours to less than two hours. He said the Delhi-Haridwar route would be opened next month and would take 1.5 hours to cover.
The minister also linked road infrastructure with tourism and employment. He said 49 per cent of capital expenditure was directed towards tourism-related activity, which could create employment and support visitor growth at religious destinations.
Gadkari said 80 to 85 per cent of the Char Dham road project had been completed, while traffic from Delhi to religious destinations in Uttarakhand had increased threefold. He also referred to road development in Ayodhya and Maharashtra, including the Pandharpur Palkhi Marg projects, saying improved access could bring more pilgrims and strengthen local economies.
The government is prioritising expressways and green express highways to improve connectivity across India, Gadkari said. He added that construction creates jobs and drives demand for materials such as cement and steel. Citing the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, he said greenfield roads could connect tribal districts with economic centres and help more tourist destinations attract visitors. He also described infrastructure spending as a key support for the Indian economy, stating that an investment of Rs. 100 could generate an economic impact of Rs. 325.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.