The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved two major national highway projects worth a total of ₹14,115 crore, aimed at improving connectivity, reducing travel time and generating employment in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
Briefing the media after the Cabinet meeting, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the projects include the construction of a six-lane road tunnel connecting the Dwarka Expressway with Nelson Mandela Marg in Vasant Kunj, Delhi, and a high-speed access-controlled highway between Kanpur and Kabrai in Uttar Pradesh.
The Delhi project involves the construction of an 8.1-kilometre, six-lane tunnel on NH-148AE with a total investment of ₹6,969.67 crore. The project will be implemented under the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) through the National Highways (Original) Scheme.
The proposed tunnel will significantly improve connectivity between West and South Delhi by linking the Urban Extension Road-2 (UER-2) and Dwarka Expressway with Vasant Kunj. The government said the underground twin-tube tunnel has been designed to minimise surface disruption, with nearly 1.98 kilometres of the tunnel passing beneath the Southern Ridge Forest to preserve the ecologically sensitive area.
The government also announced that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is planning an elevated corridor between AIIMS and Mahipalpur. This corridor will connect the tunnel with the Barapullah Elevated Road, creating seamless connectivity between West, South and East Delhi, while also improving access to Ghaziabad and Noida.
The project is expected to provide a major boost to employment. According to government estimates, every lane-kilometre of a national highway generates an average of 264 person-days of direct employment and 55 person-days of indirect employment. The Delhi tunnel project alone is expected to create nearly 7.54 lakh person-days of direct employment and around 9.80 lakh person-days of indirect employment during its construction.
The Cabinet also approved the construction of the 117.7-kilometre Kanpur–Kabrai section of NH-34 in Uttar Pradesh. The four/six-lane access-controlled highway is expected to enhance regional connectivity and support faster movement of people and goods. The project is also anticipated to stimulate economic activity along the corridor, creating additional employment opportunities and supporting industrial and commercial development in the region.
The government said the approved highway projects are part of its continued efforts to strengthen India's transport infrastructure, improve logistics efficiency and promote balanced regional development while creating large-scale employment opportunities.
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