Delhi-Mumbai Expressway: Land Acquisition Issue In Gujarat Delays Construction Of Two Stretches Of The High-Speed Corridor

The construction of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway may face delays due to pending work in two stretches of the high-speed corridor in Gujarat.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has bid out the two stretches in question, but is yet to provide an appointed date for when construction will begin, as per a Times of India report.

Reports suggest that land acquisition problems in Gujarat have been the primary reason for the delay in bidding out the two stretches. 

In a written reply submitted to Rajya Sabha, the Highways Ministry reported that the NHAI awarded the work for construction of a 35 km stretch of the expressway corridor in Valsad district in Gujarat, costing Rs 3,633 crore.

Additionally, it has also bid out the construction of a further 27 km stretch in Navsari district for Rs 2,287 crore.

However, construction has not started in either case.   

The progress has been reported to range between 3 per cent to 28 per cent, with land acquisition difficulties cited as the main reason for delays in these stretches as well.   

Furthermore, the government later added extensions to link DND Flyway in Delhi and another to the upcoming Noida airport with the expressway, which are expected to be completed by December.

The government had initially proposed the expressway project connecting Sohna in Gurgaon with Mumbai via Vadodara.

The Government of India planned the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, a 1,380-km controlled access highway, with an intention of linking and cutting down the travel time between the two major cities from 24 hours to 12 hours.

The first stretch of the expressway running from Sohna in Haryana to Dausa in Rajasthan, became operational on 12 February, 2023.

Covering 246 km, the section will reduce travel time from Delhi to Jaipur to just three hours, from the current five hours.