Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway will be fully completed within two years, noting that 75-80 per cent of the project has already been finished. He indicated that the project carries a cost of Rs1.1 trillion (Rs1.1 tn) and that, when complete, motorists will be able to travel from Delhi to Nariman Point and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port in about 12 hours. The minister inspected sections at Labana and the Mukundra Hills tunnel during the visit. The minister said the expressway corridor idea arose after he observed that a more direct connection between Delhi and Kota was feasible, replacing the existing circuitous route. He announced approval for a 10 km four-lane Mukundara Bypass on the Kota–Jhalawar section of National Highway 52 at an estimated cost of Rs5.51 billion (Rs5.51 bn). Work on the bypass is scheduled to begin within three months. He added that a 21 km four-lane greenfield spur connecting Kota to the expressway via Alantpura has been approved at an estimated cost of Rs10 billion (Rs10 bn), with construction slated to commence within three months. The minister said the Centre is planning an Atal Express Highway from Kota to Etawah along the Chambal River at an estimated cost of Rs150 billion (Rs150 bn), with the Detailed Project Report under preparation and construction to start after planning is complete. The DPR to link Bhawani Mandi with the expressway has also been initiated. Gadkari described highways as engines of economic transformation and said improved infrastructure would attract industries, logistics parks, educational institutions, medical colleges and agro-based units to underdeveloped tribal districts along the route. He said the government had utilised nearly eight million tonnes (8 mn t) of municipal waste in road construction and was promoting bio-bitumen made from crop residue and the production of aviation fuel from stubble as examples of converting waste into value. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma accompanied the inspection, and the minister conveyed that the Centre would continue to provide full support for highway development in the state. He said the improvements aim to boost investment, employment and regional development along the expressway corridor.