Guwahati, Assam – The northeastern region of India is poised to witness a significant transformation in its road infrastructure as the central government earmarks a substantial portion of its ₹10 lakh crore highway development plan for the area over the next two years. This ambitious undertaking was announced by Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari in a recent interview.
Minister Gadkari emphasized the government’s commitment to elevating the quality of roads in the Northeast to match the standards prevalent in the United States. He stated that the Centre is diligently working towards a drastic overhaul of the nation’s infrastructure within the coming two years, aiming for parity with the best globally.
Highlighting the specific focus on the Northeast, Gadkari noted the urgent need to bolster road infrastructure in the region due to its challenging terrain and strategic proximity to international borders. He affirmed that projects worth ₹10 lakh crore are slated for implementation nationwide in the next two years, with a particular emphasis on enhancing connectivity in the Northeast and border areas.
Giving a regional breakdown of ongoing projects, Gadkari revealed that 784 highway projects, estimated at a total cost of ₹3,73,484 crore and covering 21,355 km, are currently underway in the eastern states. These projects encompass initiatives by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL).
Specifically for the Northeast, excluding Assam, projects valued at approximately ₹1 lakh crore are scheduled for this year alone. Assam currently has projects worth ₹57,696 crore in progress, while Bihar accounts for around ₹90,000 crore. Other eastern states also have significant projects underway, including West Bengal (over ₹42,000 crore), Jharkhand (about ₹53,000 crore), and Odisha (around ₹58,000 crore).
In related infrastructure developments, Gadkari mentioned a pilot project in Nagpur involving a 135-seater electric bus running on non-polluting energy sources, with a cost of ₹170 crore. If successful, this cost-effective mass rapid transport system could be replicated on key routes across the country, potentially including the Delhi-Jaipur stretch, under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model.
Minister Gadkari also highlighted the substantial expansion of the National Highway network, which has grown from 91,287 km in March 2014 to the current 1,46,204 km, accompanied by a notable improvement in road standards. The proportion of national highways with less than two lanes has significantly decreased from 30 percent to just 9 percent of the total network. Furthermore, NHAI exceeded its construction target for the fiscal year 2024-25, building 5,614 km of national highways against a target of 5,150 km.
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