India's road infrastructure to surpass US's by 2027: Nitin Gadkari
What's the story
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has declared that India's road infrastructure will be ahead of the United States of America's in the next two years.
Speaking at an event in Mumbai, Gadkari also updated on the much-delayed Mumbai-Goa highway project, assuring it will be completed by June.
The national highway will greatly cut down travel time between Mumbai and Goa and develop the Konkan area.
Project hurdles
Challenges faced by Mumbai-Goa highway project
The Mumbai-Goa highway project has seen several delays and missed deadlines.
Gadkari, who had set a target of completing the project by December 2023, attributed legal disputes and fights among landowners for the delays.
"There were fights among brothers, cases in courts, and endless complications in providing compensation for land," he said.
However, Gadkari assured that work on the highway has picked up pace.
Ongoing projects
Updates on other highway projects
Gadkari also updated on other ongoing projects during his address. He mentioned the ministry's work in J&K, and the construction of highways for the Delhi-Mumbai and Surat-Chennai routes is underway.
"The dream of going from Kashmir to Kanyakumari (via national highways) will be completed in the next year," he promised.
His ministry is building 57 express highways across India at an estimated cost of ₹10 lakh crore.
Toll policy
New toll policy to be introduced soon
Additionally, Gadkari announced a new toll policy. He stated that physical toll booths will soon be removed across the country.
"The Central government will soon introduce a new toll policy...within the next 15 days, a new policy will be announced. Once implemented, there will be no reason for anyone to complain about tolls."
This is part of India's strategy to enhance road infrastructure and improve travel efficiency.