Government planning almost 3,000 km of expressways

The government has approved plans to build almost 3,000 km of expressways in the country under various schemes, Parliament was told on Thursday.

While a plan for constructing 1,000 km of expressways was approved under the sixth phase of National Highways Development Project at a cost of Rs 16,680 crore, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs also approved the Bharatmala Programme under which expressway projects of aggregate length 1,837 km would be developed, the government said.

"Out of these, 800 km will be built in the first phase of Bharatmala Pariyojana for which an outlay of Rs 40,000 crore has been approved," Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Mansukh L. Mandaviya told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

He said that in addition to the two large programmes, the government also approved the Eastern Peripheral Expressway of a total length of 135 km, the construction of which was in progress.

--IANS

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