The Indian Government plans to build a new highway connecting Katra with New Delhi. The route will be some 600km long, running through Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir. A consultant is being selected to carry out a feasibility study for the project. The project will cost in the order of US$2.25 billion and will be of importance as Katra is where the Vaishno Devi holy shrine is located. The new link will reduce travel time on the route from 11-12 hours at present to five-six hours when the work is complete. Funding for the project will be provided by a hybrid annuity structure that will see the Indian Government pay 40% of the total.
In all there are plans for around 1,000km of highways that have been approved by the Indian Government. The new routes run between Chennai and Bengaluru, Chandigarh and Delhi, Meerut and Delhi, Jaipur and Delhi, Agra and Delhi, Dhanbad and Kolkata, and Mumbai and Vadodara. To plan for future work, the Indian Government plans to set up a Green Highways Fund for its 96,000km National Highways Project. This requires 1% of the total road project cost to be dedicated to tree plantation. The fund will be managed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) while about 1,000 contractors will be selected to carry out the task. Policy for the fund is being formulated by the Road Transport and Highways Ministry.
In all there are plans for around 1,000km of highways that have been approved by the Indian Government. The new routes run between Chennai and Bengaluru, Chandigarh and Delhi, Meerut and Delhi, Jaipur and Delhi, Agra and Delhi, Dhanbad and Kolkata, and Mumbai and Vadodara. To plan for future work, the Indian Government plans to set up a Green Highways Fund for its 96,000km National Highways Project. This requires 1% of the total road project cost to be dedicated to tree plantation. The fund will be managed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) while about 1,000 contractors will be selected to carry out the task. Policy for the fund is being formulated by the Road Transport and Highways Ministry.
