PM inaugurates first phase of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway
Recently, the Prime Minister dedicated to the nation the 246-km Delhi Dausa-Lalsot section of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.
- He also laid the foundation stone of 247 km long National Highway projects to be developed at a cost of more than Rs 5940 crore.
- The 246-km Delhi-Dausa-Lalsot section of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway has been developed at a cost of over Rs 12,150 crore.
- With the operationalization of this section, the travel time from Delhi to Jaipur will reduce from 5 hours to about 3.5 hours and will give a huge boost to the economic development of the entire region.
- The Prime Minister said that Gramin Haats are being set up along the Expressway, which will help local farmers and artisans.
- He underlined that the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway would benefit Rajasthan as well as several regions of Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
- He said, “Tourist destinations like Sariska, Keoladeo National Park, Ranthambore and Jaipur will greatly benefit from the highway”.
Delhi Mumbai Expressway
- The Delhi Mumbai Expressway will be the longest expressway in India with a length of 1,386 km.
- It will reduce the travel distance between Delhi and Mumbai by 12 per cent from 1,424 km to 1,242 km and reduce the travel time from 24 hours to 12 hours i.e. 50 per cent.
- It will pass through six states – Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra and will connect major cities like Kota, Indore, Jaipur, Bhopal, Vadodara and Surat.
- It will also cater to the needs of 93 PM Gati Shakti Economic Nodes, 13 Ports, 8 Major Airports and 8 Multi-Modal Logistics Parks (MMLPs) as well as Greenfield airports under construction like Jewar Airport.
- The DME project is a part of the Bharatmala project of the central government. The Bharatmala project has been launched by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. DME is expected to be completed in 2024.
Features of Bharatmala Project:
- It will integrate economic corridors;
- provide last mile connectivity through inter-corridor and feeder routes;
- lane expansion of existing National Corridors and reduce their traffic load;
- promote economic development through ports;
- Will promote the construction of green-field expressways.
- The DME project is governed by the PM Gati Shakti Master Plan. Under this, arrangements have been made to lay optical fiber cables, power lines, gas pipelines etc.
Source – PIB
