India Pushes To Clear Stalled Highway Projects By March 2026

01 Dec 2025 CW Team

India is working to substantially reduce its inventory of stalled national highway projects by the end of the current financial year, as the government moves to contain rising costs and revive construction momentum.

According to a report, 54 delayed projects have been resolved since April, bringing the number of pending projects down from 152 to 98, and cutting the value of unresolved work from Rs 715 billion to Rs 393 billion. The target is to reduce the backlog to around 60 projects by March 2026, representing an approximate sixty per cent reduction over two years.

The urgency comes amid a broader slowdown in highway contracting and execution this fiscal, as government departments focus on compliance, quality control and procedural streamlining.

Officials said the push includes quicker administrative approvals, better coordination for land acquisition, and timely release of central funds to prevent cash-flow constraints. “This will also help arrest further escalation in cost of these projects due to delays,” a senior official told ET.

Despite efforts to maintain a strong project pipeline, the number of awarded projects still awaiting construction remains a concern. As of November, 53 awarded projects worth about Rs 393 billion were pending execution, down from 87 cases in April.

The National Highways Authority of India, which handles nearly half of India’s national highway construction, has so far awarded 467.72 kilometres and completed 2,108.38 kilometres, significantly below its FY26 targets of 4,500 kilometres awarded and 5,000 kilometres constructed.

Infrastructure Urban

02 Dec 2025

BMC Begins Rs 660-Mn Project to Revive Powai Lake Ecosystem

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has launched a Rs 660-million restoration initiative aimed at improving the ecological health of Powai Lake. The project focuses on diverting sewage inflow, establishing a modern sewage treatment plant (STP), and expanding the removal of water hyacinth, which has increasingly overwhelmed the lake’s surface in recent months. The civic body has set an 18-month deadline for completing the works.According to officials, the rapid spread of hyacinth is directly linked to untreated sewage entering the lake, providing a nutrient-rich environment for the i..

Foundation Laid for Rs 500 Mn Four-lane Road Project in Nalgonda

Roads & Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy inaugurated a major infrastructure initiative in Nalgonda by laying the foundation stone for a Rs 500 million four-lane road project within the town’s municipal limits. The project aims to enhance mobility and ease congestion along a key stretch of the Mahbubnagar–Nalgonda corridor.The new four-lane road will run from the Nagarjunasagar ‘X’ Roads to the Darveshipuram Yellamma Temple, featuring a central median and integrated central lighting to improve road safety and night-time visibility. According to the minister, construction ..

Maharashtra Clears DPR for 55 Km Uttan–Virar Sea Link Project

The Maharashtra government has approved the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Uttan–Virar Sea Link (UVSL), a major infrastructure project that will extend Mumbai’s coastal mobility network and complete the city’s envisioned ring road. Designed as an eight-lane, high-speed corridor, the project will span a total length of 55.12 km, including a 24.35 km sea bridge between Uttan and Virar and close to 31 km of approach roads.According to the DPR, the approach road network will include a 9.32 km connecting stretch at Uttan, a 2.5 km link at Vasai, and an 18.95 km road at Virar. The proje..