Travel time between Delhi and Haridwar could be reduced to just 1.5 hours once a new expressway connecting the two destinations is completed, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has said. He said the expressway is expected to be ready in the next two months.Speaking at the Confederation of Indian Industry's (CII) National Conference on the Future of India, Gadkari said the project would significantly cut travel time for people travelling from Delhi to Haridwar, a popular destination for pilgrims visiting the Ganga.The journey currently takes around three to four hours.
Once the new expressway is ready, travellers could reach Haridwar in about 90 minutes, making it possible to leave Delhi early in the morning, take a dip in the Ganga and have breakfast in Haridwar.The announcement comes after the opening of the Delhi-Dehradun Greenfield Expressway reduced travel time between Delhi and Dehradun from around five to six hours to approximately two hours. ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE TO CUT TRAVEL TIMEGadkari cited improvements in road connectivity across the country to highlight how infrastructure projects are reducing travel time and supporting economic activity.He said travelling from Delhi to Meerut, which earlier took around three-and-a-half hours, now takes only 45 to 50 minutes.
Similarly, the journey from Delhi to Jaipur has been reduced from five hours to two hours. He also said that road travel between Bengaluru and Chennai, which currently takes around four to five hours, would be possible in approximately two hours following improvements in connectivity.According to Gadkari, these reductions in travel time are helping lower logistics costs while supporting tourism and development.The minister said the government plans to develop 36 green expressways across the country, which he said would bring major changes to India's development and transport network.
He added that road infrastructure projects worth around Rs 1.6 lakh crore were being undertaken for Delhi.INDIA'S LOGISTICS COST HAS FALLEN TO 9%, SAYS GADKARIGadkari also highlighted a reduction in India's logistics costs, describing infrastructure development as a key factor in the country's future economic growth.He said logistics costs, which were earlier estimated at 16 per cent of India's gross domestic product (GDP), had now fallen to around 9 per cent.Comparing the figures with other major economies, Gadkari said China's logistics costs stood at around 8 per cent of its GDP, while those of the United States were approximately 12 per cent.He said the earlier higher logistics costs had posed significant challenges for India's international trade and business. Better infrastructure, he added, could help improve agricultural productivity and support industry, trade and commercial activity.Gadkari described infrastructure development as one of the most important foundations of India's future growth, saying it could help advance several sectors of the economy.CHAR DHAM PROJECT 85% COMPLETEHighlighting the link between infrastructure investment, tourism and employment, Gadkari said capital expenditure in the tourism sector could help create new job opportunities.He cited the Char Dham project, which has an estimated cost of around Rs 12,000 crore, as an example of infrastructure development supporting pilgrimage tourism.According to the minister, around 85 per cent of the project has been completed.
He also said the number of travellers going from Delhi to Badrinath and Kedarnath had increased threefold compared with earlier levels.Gadkari said infrastructure investment was expected to contribute to tourism growth and generate employment, alongside reducing travel times and logistics expenses.- Ends