Bharatmala highways project plagued by cost, time escalation

20 Jul 2022 CW Team

The Union government’s slow-moving Bharatmala Project - a plan to develop over 30,000 km of national highways - is seeing completion times and costs escalate, according to a new report from ICRA.

The report says the project is likely to be complete in FY28, a six-year delay from the original timeline. The cost of the project has already risen by 99% to Rs 10,630 billion and is poised to see another 15-20% increase.

First announced in July 2015, the project was originally estimated to cost the country Rs 5,350 billion to develop 24,800 km of national highways and another 10,000 km of highways pending under the erstwhile National Highway Development Programme by FY22. Calculations made in 2015 pegged the project cost at Rs 155.20 million crore per km.

ICRA's findings point to land acquisition as being a major problem area for the project. Funding is also a likely roadblock, with costs almost doubling since 2015. Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has hinted at that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) may raise additional debt.

The Bharatmala Project is being undertaken by NHAI, the Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry, and the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation, with the bulk of the project under NHAI.

Real Estate

11 May 2026

Danube Launches Greenz Villa Community in Dubai

Danube Properties has launched Greenz by Danube, a fully furnished master villa community in Dubai, unveiled by H.E. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, at an event attended by over 7,000 investors and business leaders.Located near Dubai International Academic City and Dubai Silicon Oasis, the development marks Danube’s first large-scale integrated villa community and is positioned within one of Dubai’s emerging residential corridors.The project will comprise three and four-bedroom townhouses along with five-bedroom semi-detached and twin villas...

ABB Launches IE6 Motor for Hazardous Industrial Areas

ABB has introduced what it claims is the world’s first IE6 Hyper-Efficiency motor certified for hazardous industrial environments under ATEX and IECEx standards.The new Increased Safety motor is based on ABB’s synchronous reluctance (SynRM) technology and is designed without magnets or rare earth materials. According to the company, the motor reduces energy losses by up to 60 per cent compared to standard IE3 induction motors commonly used in hazardous areas.The motor is intended for use in industries such as chemicals, marine, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals and food and beverage, where expl..

Casagrand Launches 41-Acre Highcity Project in Chennai

Casagrand has launched Casagrand Highcity, a 41-acre integrated residential development on Chennai’s Outer Ring Road (ORR), marking the company’s largest residential project to date.The project will comprise over 4,000 two and three BHK apartments across four G+22 towers and is positioned as one of the largest organised residential developments in the ORR corridor.Located along Chennai’s emerging residential and infrastructure growth belt, the project benefits from connectivity to IT hubs including Navalur, Siruseri SIPCOT and Porur, as well as industrial clusters such as Sriperumbudur, ..