Why fly when expressways provide faster link from Delhi to Dehradun, Jaipur, Chandigarh: Union minister Nitin Gadkari

NEW DELHI/GHAZIABAD: Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said new expressways between Delhi and neighbouring state capitals Dehradun, Jaipur and Chandigarh will make flights redundant since the road journey will not take more than two-three hours.
Speaking to reporters during a review of work on the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, Gadkari said it will be completed next year - the scheduled completion date is December 2024 - and reduce the distance between the two cities by 23km. The access-controlled expressway will let motorists cover the 212km distance in approximately two hours.
Highlighting the network of highways and expressways being built around Delhi with an estimated investment of Rs 65,000 crore, the minister, in a lighter in a lighter vein, said, "After this December, the regular commercial flight service will stop on Delhi-Dehradun, Delhi-Jaipur and Delhi-Chandigarh sectors."
Currently, on an average, 11 flights operate between Delhi and Dehradun; 12 on the Delhi-Jaipur route and 18 between Delhi and Chandigarh.
The newly opened stretch of the Delhi-Mumbai expressway from Gurgaon to Dausa has brought down driving time between Delhi and Jaipur significantly, while Delhi and Chandigarh will come closer once the Urban Extension Road-II and Katra-Amritsar highway are completed.
Gadkari said the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway has been split into four sections, starting from the Delhi-Meerut Expressway (DME) near Akshardham in Delhi. He said a 340-metre-long, three-lane tunnel is being built at Datkali in Dehradun at a cost of Rs 1,995 crore, while the stretch from Ganeshpur to Dehradun has been built with wildlife safety in mind.
"There is a provision for a 12km elevated road, six animal underpasses, two elephant underpasses, two major bridges and 13 minor bridges. For the convenience of passengers, there is a provision for 12 wayside amenities. For connectivity to Haridwar, a 51km, six-lane greenfield road is being constructed at a cost of Rs 2,095 crore," the highways ministry said.
While Gadkari said the expansion of highways and construction of greenfield expressway will help decongest Delhi, Baghpat MP Satyapal Singh said land rates have gone up exponentially due to faster road development in the region. "I appeal to investors to come here and build apartments and farmhouses rather than investing in Delhi. You have more open areas, and because of the expressway, you can reach Delhi very fast," he said.