Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways and Corporate Affairs Harsh Malhotra recently chaired a high-level review meeting to assess progress on major road infrastructure works, decongestion strategies and inter-agency coordination affecting Delhi. The meeting was attended by West Delhi MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat, the Chief Secretary of Delhi and senior officials from the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, National Highways Authority of India, DDA, Delhi Police, DJB, the Transport Department and other agencies.

Emphasising that the national capital must reflect the spirit of ‘Viksit Bharat’, the Minister highlighted the need for modern, safe, seamless and environment-friendly mobility systems. He outlined four pillars for building a decongested and citizen-centric ‘Viksit Delhi’: future-ready infrastructure, integrated planning across transport modes, sustainable mobility and people-first design.

The Minister reviewed proposals for secondary service roads along Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II), currently at the DPR stage, and directed the Delhi Development Authority to address citizen concerns on access, safety and integration with adjoining areas. NHAI was asked to complete its assigned works within stipulated timelines, with strong coordination between agencies stressed as essential.

Traffic congestion in Dwarka Sub-City following the opening of UER-II was also reviewed. Authorities were directed to explore measures such as diverting through-traffic, strengthening airport and Gurugram linkages, integrating metro and public transport nodes, and deploying intelligent traffic management systems.

The Minister further reviewed three major corridors transferred to NHAI for maintenance and widening—Mathura Road (Ashram to Badarpur), Old Delhi–Rohtak Road (Punjabi Bagh to Tikri Border) and Mehrauli–Gurugram Road—totalling 33 km, and instructed officials to expedite completion.

A detailed review of the Delhi Decongestion Plan was undertaken, covering the extension of the Delhi–Amritsar–Katra Expressway, UER-II linkages to the Delhi–Dehradun Expressway, and a proposed road tunnel from Dwarka Expressway to Nelson Mandela Marg. The Minister underlined that decongestion would reduce emissions, lower travel time and logistics costs, improve road safety and enhance economic productivity.

Pending inter-agency issues including land handover and right-of-way clearances were discussed, with directions for time-bound approvals and continuous coordination. In his concluding remarks, Shri Malhotra reiterated the Centre’s commitment to partnering with all stakeholders to realise the goal of ‘Viksit Delhi – Decongest Delhi’ and support the capital’s infrastructure transformation.