Highways ministry plans mega road show of PM to inaugurate two roads in NCR

NEW DELHI: The highway ministry has planned a mega event to mark the inauguration of Delhi-Ghaziabad stretch of NH-24 and Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE). Highways minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday there would be a major road show by the Prime Minister riding an open vehicle on a highway stretch.
“These two projects will be big gifts to Delhi, which got materialised during this government. These will reduce traffic burden on Delhi roads. We are planning a major road show. We will request the PM to take a ride on both the highway stretches. We have sought time from him to inaugurate these two stretches and lay foundation stone for Dwarka Expressway,” Gadkari told reporters.

Sources said the completion of these two major road projects gains significance considering that PM Modi had laid foundation stone after coming to power. Secondly, widening of the eight-kilometer stretch of NH-24 between Nizamuddin Bridge and Delhi Border to 14 lanes is getting completed one year before the official deadline. Secondly, even the construction of 135 km EPE is set for completion in record time despite several protests by farmers against land acquisition.

Though EPE was planned in 2006, the work was awarded after the NDA government came to power. National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) awarded the work under the government funding mode for faster completion. “Had there not been any protest from farmers we would have completed the entire stretch within 500 days. We will make this access controlled expressway a model for the country since it will be the first such stretch to be built by the Central government,” said an official involved in the project.

This will also be the first toll road in the country where commuters will pay for the stretch they travel. There will also be smart tolling system.