2,105 km Road Projects Worth Rs 1,041.45 bn to Ease Delhi-NCR Traffic

30 Jul 2026 CW Team

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari informed the Lok Sabha that the government has taken up road projects totalling 2,105 km at an aggregate cost of Rs 1,04,145 crore, equivalent to Rs 1,041.45 billion (bn), in a bid to reduce congestion across the Delhi-NCR region. The package forms part of wider efforts to improve connectivity as population and vehicle numbers rise. The announcement situates the projects within ongoing national infrastructure priorities.

He was responding to a question from Lok Sabha MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri about measures to decongest South Delhi and when work on the schemes is likely to begin. Gadkari noted that projects amounting to Rs 6,969.67 crore are being implemented to decongest South Delhi, which converts to Rs 69.70 bn. Key elements include a six-lane greenfield corridor from the Delhi-Noida Direct Flyway to Faridabad and Sonha at a cost of Rs 4,583 crore, or Rs 45.83 bn, and construction of a six-lane road tunnel at Shiv Murti to link the Dwarka Expressway and NH 48 with Nelson Mandela Marg near Vasant Kunj.

The ministry has also proposed four additional corridor upgrades to ease traffic flow, covering Ashram Chowk to Badarpur Border, Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, INA to Mahipalpur and an interchange at the Kalindi Kunj junction extending to the Okhla Barrage. Details on cost apportionment and sequencing will be refined during project development. Feasibility studies and Detailed Project Reports will inform final decisions.

Gadkari indicated that cost estimates and completion timelines will be finalised after the competent authority approves the DPRs and feasibility findings, and that new projects are undertaken based on techno-economic feasibility and traffic density. He said alignment with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan would guide prioritisation and integration with existing national highways programmes. The ministry continues maintenance and development work as a continuous process.

Infrastructure Urban

30 Jul 2026

Centre Clears Power Distribution Upgrade for Uttar Pradesh

The Central Government has approved power distribution projects worth Rs 407.39 billion for Uttar Pradesh under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS). The investment will be used to modernise the state's electricity distribution infrastructure and strengthen network capacity across urban and rural areas. The package targets one of the country's largest distribution networks as the state experiences rapid urbanisation and rising electricity consumption. Planned interventions include the strengthening of distribution lines, modernisation of substations, replacement of ageing electrical ..

India Data Centres To Consume 191 TWh By 2040 Driving Renewables

A Wood Mackenzie report says India's operational data centre capacity is projected to increase more than fivefold to 12 gigawatt (GW) by 2030 from 2.2 GW in 2025 as artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing drive demand. It projects electricity consumption to rise from 10 terawatt-hour (TWh) in 2025 to 191 TWh by 2040. The study forecasts a compound annual growth rate of around 40 per cent and notes AI-dedicated capacity will surge nearly 24-fold from 275 megawatt (MW) in 2025 to 6,546 MW by 2030. The report places India's digital economy at Rs 32 trillion (tn) in 2025 and says it contr..

Hydrogen Train Completes 1,200 Kilometres Of Trials

India's first hydrogen train was flagged off between Jind and Sonipat on July 17 and has travelled over 1,200 kilometres in trials, saving diesel consumption of more than 3,200 litres, a Railway Ministry press release said. The deployment marks the introduction of a zero-emission fuel cell train into route testing and represents a milestone in domestic rail innovation. The train generates electricity onboard through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, producing electricity to propel the vehicle while emitting only water vapour as a by-product. There is no smoke and no tailpipe car..