Racing on a seamless road network
In the past, highways were built primarily to connect certain locations; today, highways are seen as strategic pillars that foster greater efficiency and convenience in mobility. The government has been actively working toward constructing larger 4/6 lane national highways, keeping in the mind the origin and destination of vehicular traffic, especially freight. Its launch of the Bharatmala initiative is the cornerstone of such a story.
The Bharatmala Pariyojana is an integrated and holistic program for the highways sector that aims at enhancing the effectiveness of freight and passenger movement throughout the country. It does so by addressing critical infrastructure gaps through effective interventions such as the construction of Economic Corridors, Inter Corridors and Feeder Routes, National Corridor Efficiency Improvement, Border and International Connectivity Roads, Coastal and Port Connectivity Roads, and Green-field Expressways. The project was launched by Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi and the Minister for Roads, Transport and Highways, Shri. Nitin Gadkari on 31st July 2015. Under this scheme, the government plans to build 65,000 km worth of roads, which would constitute 50 economic corridors.
Three elements, namely broader connectivity, employment and trade are proving to be portentous in the transport and logistics sector. This macro-PDF series studies the opportunities arising from the development of expressways and highways in India from a People, Development and Financial angle.
