Cabinet clears 8 high-speed road corridors in seven states

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 2
The Union Cabinet on Friday approved eight major national high-speed road corridor projects of 936 km length to be built at a total capital cost of Rs 50,655 crore.
A six-lane Agra-Gwalior high-speed corridor costing Rs 4,613 crore would reduce travel time between Agra and Gwalior by half. A four-lane Kharagpur-Moregram corridor of 231 km is expected to transform the economies of West Bengal and North-East.
“The six-lane Kanpur Ring Road, a 47-km access-controlled section, will decongest Kanpur, while a 137 km four-lane section between Pathalgaon and Gumla of the Raipur-Ranchi corridor will unlock the growth potential of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. “The projects will generate about 4 crore jobs,” he said.
A new corridor between Tharad and Ahmedabad in Gujarat will ensure seamless port connectivity and reduce logistics costs. The Cabinet also cleared a 68-km four-lane access-controlled Ayodhya Ring Road at a total capital cost of Rs 3,935 crore and an eight-lane elevated flyover corridor section between Pune and Nashik that will eliminate logistics nightmare.
“Travelling to Ayodhya will be much faster now and the Guwahati ring road will facilitate unhindered access to the North-East,” Vaishnaw said, adding that the projects would boost India’s goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047.
These projects have been announced for the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Chhattisgarh and poll-bound Maharashtra and Jharkhand to improve logistics efficiency, reduce congestion and enhance connectivity across the country.

To generate 4 crore jobs

• 6-lane road will reduce travel time between Agra and Gwalior by half
• 4-lane access-controlled Ayodhya Ring Road to lessen travel time
• 8-lane elevated flyover between Pune and Nashik on the cards
• Guwahati ring road to facilitate unhindered access to North-East
• Projects to generate about 4 crore jobs, says government