India’s ambitious road infrastructure drive is hitting both milestones and speed bumps as the government sets unprecedented targets while grappling with persistent project delays in key regions. The past year has seen a flurry of announcements, high-profile inaugurations, and candid admissions from top officials about the challenges ahead, painting a nuanced picture of the country’s rapidly evolving highways landscape.
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has taken center stage in this transformation, outlining a vision that is as bold as it is challenging. According to The Times of India, Gadkari announced on August 9, 2025, that the government has already awarded road projects worth Rs 2 lakh crore this year, with plans to award an additional Rs 5 lakh crore by year’s end. This would bring the total to a staggering Rs 7 lakh crore by the end of the financial year 2026, and from then on, the government aims to award Rs 10 lakh crore in road projects annually.
Gadkari emphasized the integrity and efficiency of the award process, describing it as “transparent, time-bound and corruption-free,” and assured that “funds are ample.” He acknowledged, however, that the sector had recently experienced a slowdown, attributing it to the cancellation of the Bharatmala programme. Despite this setback, he signaled renewed momentum: “We are regaining pace and are committed to achieving 100 km of road construction per day, far surpassing the previous peak of 37 km per day in 2020–21.”
But the government’s ambitions extend beyond just laying asphalt. At the ICEMA annual session, Gadkari urged the construction equipment industry to embrace alternate and sustainable fuels. He revealed that the ministry is exploring interest-free loans for manufacturers producing equipment powered by such fuels, and added, “Besides, a relief on one-time tax on registration of construction equipment running on alternate fuels is also under consideration.” Gadkari claimed, “This will substitute huge fuel imports worth Rs 22 lakh crore annually, reduce pollution, and boost indigenous innovation,” describing the initiative as a win-win for industry, government, and the economy.
This push for innovation and sustainability comes at a time when India is making headlines for its infrastructure advancements. On August 16, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate a new expressway that will slash travel time between Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport and Noida to just 20 minutes, as reported by Noida News. The project, part of the Urban Extension Road-2 (UER-2) and a section of the Dwarka Expressway, is designed to ease traffic congestion and boost connectivity across the National Capital Region (NCR).
The UER-2 corridor, featuring four to six lanes, will connect Alipur, Mundka, Najafgarh, and Dwarka to Mahipalpur, linking with major highways such as the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway. The new infrastructure will also integrate with key regional routes, enabling faster travel between NCR cities and improving access to both IGI Airport and the upcoming Jewar Airport. The inauguration ceremony will be attended by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
Officials say the expressway will not only reduce travel time for daily commuters but also support economic growth by enhancing the movement of goods and services in the region. This project is part of the government’s larger push to expand and modernize India’s road network, with a focus on reducing urban traffic bottlenecks and improving inter-city travel efficiency.
Yet, for all the celebratory ribbon-cuttings and ambitious targets, the road to progress is not without its potholes. In Punjab, over a dozen major national highway projects worth about Rs 12,700 crore have either been stalled, delayed, or face termination, primarily due to persistent land acquisition hurdles and delays in statutory clearances, as the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways informed Parliament. In a reply to Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Gadkari detailed the setbacks facing several infrastructure projects being executed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Punjab Public Works Department (PWD).
Key packages of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway are among the affected projects. The Amritsar connectivity spur II, sanctioned at Rs 2,197.17 crore for a length of 30.05 km, was terminated due to non-availability of land, with fresh bids to be invited once possession is secured. Spur III, covering 28.1 km and sanctioned at Rs 1,951.7 crore, is ongoing but delayed, with a revised completion date of November 30, 2026. The Amritsar-Bathinda (package I) project, costing Rs 1,229.38 crore over 39 km, commenced on November 14, 2022, and was initially scheduled for completion by November 13, 2024. It is now expected to be completed by December 31, 2026, due to land acquisition issues.
Likewise, the Amritsar–Ghoman–Tanda–Una (Package-I), sanctioned at Rs 1,443.47 crore for 45.73 km, is delayed for similar reasons and now targeted for completion by June 30, 2026. Package II of the same corridor, measuring 31.05 km and valued at Rs 818.41 crore, has been terminated due to land unavailability. Another delayed NHAI project is the Amritsar (Airport Junction)–Ramdas (Package-IV) stretch, sanctioned at Rs 416.58 crore for 38.978 km. The project began on March 16, 2022, with an initial completion deadline of September 15, 2023, but is now projected to finish by September 30, 2025, due to delays in acquiring land.
In the Ludhiana–Rupnagar corridor, package I, which covers 37.7 km at a cost of Rs 1,368.91 crore, commenced on December 12, 2022. The concessionaire issued a termination notice citing delays in land handover and has demobilized resources from the site. The matter is under conciliation through the Conciliation Committee of Independent Experts (CCIE). Meanwhile, package II, spanning 47.24 km and sanctioned at Rs 1,488.23 crore, was terminated for the same reason, with re-tendering to be undertaken after land possession is secured.
Projects implemented by the Punjab Public Works Department have also seen significant disruptions. The Jalandhar–Hoshiarpur NH-3 four-laning project (39.13 km, Rs 1,069.59 crore), awarded on October 23, 2017, is under termination due to land acquisition delays. Similarly, the Jakhal bypass on NH-148B (5 km, Rs 50.13 crore), awarded on January 9, 2020, is being terminated after only 0.6 km of land could be handed over to the contractor. Other ongoing but delayed projects include the Jalandhar–Hoshiarpur NH-3 widening (3.57 km, Rs 15.04 crore), which faces right-of-way constraints and now has a revised completion target of November 30, 2025. The Makhu–Arifke section of NH-703A, including two ROBs (24.6 km, Rs 192.48 crore), initially due by May 14, 2021, is now expected to be completed by December 31, 2025.
The ministry has stated that “projects in the state of Punjab are mainly delayed/stalled/terminated due to the issues relating to land acquisition and delay in obtaining statutory clearances.” It confirmed that the government is taking requisite measures in consultation with all stakeholders, including the Punjab government, to resolve these challenges and resume stalled works wherever feasible.
Amid these triumphs and tribulations, Gadkari’s recent interview with The Hindu underscored the complexity of India’s infrastructure journey. He discussed toll tax reforms, ethanol and alternative fuel strategies, and the broader politics of development, reiterating the government’s commitment to both growth and sustainability.
India’s road-building ambitions are clearly at a crossroads—marked by record-breaking targets, technological innovation, and high-profile inaugurations, but also by the stubborn realities of land disputes and regulatory delays. As the government pushes forward, the coming months will reveal whether these grand plans can overcome the obstacles that have long dogged the nation’s highways.
