Centre Allocates Rs 13.138 Bn for Ranipet-Chittoor Highway Project

26 Dec 2024 CW Team

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, announced that his ministry has approved Rs 1,338 crore for an access-controlled highway project on NH-40, also known as Old Madras Road. This 28.1 km stretch will connect Walajapet/Ranipet to the Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh border.

The section between Walajahpet and Chittoor, though a four-lane road until Walajahpet from Chennai, remains a two-lane road. Gadkari confirmed that the new highway will feature a four-lane main carriageway with paved shoulders, and two-lane service roads on both sides. The project will also include a 10-km bypass around Walajapet/Ranipet, four major bridges, and two railway overbridges.

"This corridor will improve connectivity between Chennai and cities such as Bengaluru, Tirupati, and Vellore, which is home to the famous CMC-Vellore hospital. It will boost local industries like leather and small-scale engineering units that support BHEL. With a Special Economic Zone in Ranipet set to be completed in 2025, this project promises to drive economic growth while also improving local traffic flow with the addition of 2-lane service roads," Gadkari shared on social media.

The approval follows a delay in the tendering process for the widening of the Walajahpet/Ranipet-Chittoor section since September 2022. Initially, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) planned a six-lane highway for Rs 980 crore, but this plan was revised earlier this year. The project is now set to be developed as a four-lane access-controlled highway, with tenders invited in July 2024. "With the Union Ministry now sanctioning funds, the tender process will soon be finalised," NHAI sources confirmed.

Real Estate

02 Apr 2026

Indian real estate attracts USD 1.4 bn institutional investments in Q1 2026: Vestian

Institutional investments in India’s real estate sector touched USD 1.4 billion in Q1 2026, marking the highest first-quarter inflow since 2022, according to Vestian. While investments fell 62 per cent quarter-on-quarter due to an exceptionally high base in the previous quarter, they rose 74 per cent compared to the same period last year, reflecting sustained investor confidence despite rising geopolitical and macroeconomic challenges.Commercial real estate remained the key driver of investment activity during the quarter, accounting for 80 per cent of total inflows, sharply higher than 38 p..

VECV crosses 1 lakh annual vehicle sales milestone in FY26

VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV), a joint venture between Volvo Group and Eicher Motors, has surpassed the 1 lakh annual sales mark in FY 2025–26, recording its highest-ever commercial vehicle sales performance. The company said it sold more than 100,000 vehicles during the year, marking a major milestone aligned with the original vision of the Volvo–Eicher joint venture.The strong performance was supported by demand across categories. Light and Medium Duty (LMD) trucks contributed 47,789 units, accounting for 46.1 per cent of total sales. Heavy Duty (HD) trucks recorded 26,867 units (25.9 pe..

Rodic Digital & Advisory partners SatSure to deploy EO intelligence in public sector

Rodic Digital & Advisory (RDA), the strategic advisory and digital transformation arm of Rodic Consultants, has signed a strategic cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SatSure to jointly pursue opportunities in India’s public sector. The collaboration aims to integrate high-resolution Earth Observation (EO) data and geospatial AI into government workflows to strengthen monitoring, compliance, and operational decision-making across key sectors.The partnership combines SatSure’s Earth intelligence capabilities with RDA’s expertise in government digital transformation and ..