Projects for 6,320 km roads awarded under Bharatmala

Projects for constructing 6,320 km of road have been awarded under the first phase of the Bharatmala project, with the financial implication estimated to be Rs 1.44 lakh crore, the government said today.

Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari also informed the Lok Sabha during Question Hour that the total investment for Bharatmala is expected to be around Rs 7.50 lakh crore for constructing about 84,000 km of road.

"Out of the total financial outlay of Rs 5,35,000 crore allocated for Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-I, projects with financial implication of approximately Rs 1,44,300 crore for a length of about 6,320 km have been awarded," he said.

The minister noted that these projects were awarded up to June 2018.

Under the first phase, a total of 34,800 km of road, including 10,000 km of residual NHDP (National Highway Development Project) have been approved for development.

The first phase of Bharatmala is to be implemented during the period from 2017-18 to 2021-22.

"To achieve timely completion of Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-I, the preparation of DPR (Detailed Project Report) and implementation of civil works is closely monitored at appropriate level," Gadkari said.

According to Gadkari, a total length of 2,000 km for border and international connectivity roads as well as 2,000 km for coastal and port connectivity roads have been considered under the first phase.

Bharatmala is a pan-nation scheme to improve the road network in the country.