
Centre grants nod for 3 key projects worth Rs 14,850 crore to boost connectivity in Delhi-NCR, decongest internal roads
The Centre has approved three major infrastructure projects worth Rs 14,850 crore that will improve travel to the National Capital Region and cut down the time taken for Delhiites to reach destinations like Katra and Dehradun.
The upcoming projects will decongest major stretches in South East, South West and East Delhi, like the Barapullah flyover, Ring Road, and Outer Ring Road (ORR), besides other internal roads, and connect areas like Dwarka, ORR, Sarai Kale Khan, Kalindi Kunj and other key arterial stretches to Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Gurgaon.
Extension of Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway
Under one of the three mega infrastructure projects, the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra National Expressway (NE-5) will be extended from Kundli-Manesar-Palwal Expressway to Urban Extension Road (UER)-II (NH-344M) in Delhi and Haryana.
The 20-km stretch will provide Expressway connectivity through UER-II, Dwarka Expressway, and Delhi-Mumbai Expressway to traffic from Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, and Punjab transiting towards Central and Western India. The extension is expected to cost Rs 4,000 crore, said an official.
'This stretch will provide direct connectivity to traffic headed to Delhi, Gurgaon and IGI Airport from the Delhi-Katra expressway through UER-II and Dwarka Expressway. The highway will provide alternative connectivity for UER-II with the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal Expressway,' said a senior official.
Officials said that work has been awarded for the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR). Once it is approved, tendering process for the civil works will begin.
After the completion of this highway, the Delhi-Katra Expressway may also serve as an alternative route to NH-44, officials said, adding that this will also divert vehicles from other states and curb vehicular pollution in Delhi. With this, people living border or outer parts of the city can reach the airport quickly.
Extension of UER-II near Alipur
The UER-II – also known as the third Ring Road of Delhi – near Alipur will be extended till the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway (NH-709B) near Tronica City in Ghaziabad, said officials. The 17-km-long extension is expected to cost Rs 3,350 crore.
'This will also act as a bypass to NH-44, and Delhi Outer and Inner Ring Roads, as traffic destined to move to North, North West, West and South Delhi and Gurgaon will travel through UER-II and Gurgaon and Dwarka Expressway to reach their destinations, thereby decongesting Delhi,' said a senior official.
UER-II is almost complete, and it is likely to be thrown open to the public before August this year.
Officials added that connecting UER-II to the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway will also decongest the Capital by diverting long-distance and freight traffic away from central roads, easing pressure on NH-48, NH-44, and ring roads, along with the Barapullah drain elevated corridor.
'It will provide faster connectivity to traffic from Haryana and Rajasthan, destined to move towards Dehradun… Currently, the bids for DPR consultants are under evaluation and will likely be awarded this week,' said officials.
Eastern extension of UER-II
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) also has plans to extend the Eastern part of UER-II from Delhi-Dehradun Expressway to Noida via Ghaziabad and Faridabad. The 65-km extension is set to cost Rs 7,500 crore.
This highway will connect major roads such as the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, Delhi-Meerut Expressway, Noida-Greater Noida Expressway, DND-Faridabad highway and Yamuna Expressway. It will also boost connectivity to towns such as Loni, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Noida, and Faridabad with North, North West, West and South West Delhi.
Officials said the stretch will also help decongest Delhi's internal roads, including the ORR, Sarai Kale Khan section of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway and Kalindi Kunj, by providing a high-speed alternative route for intercity and freight traffic, bypassing the city centre. 'Currently, bids for preparation of the DPR are under evaluation and will likely be awarded by June 20 this year,' said officials.
The projects, to be executed by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), were also discussed in a meeting held last week between the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and L-G Vinai Kumar Saxena.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
15 minutes ago
- Time of India
Man pledges fake gold, dupes SBI of 7 Lakh
Meerut: An FIR was registered on Sunday after the State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Sarurpur village, Meerut, suffered a loss of over Rs 7 lakh when a man secured loans using fake gold jewellery. According to the bank, the accused, Mohd Nazim — a resident of Meerut — took a loan of Rs 5.7 lakh in 2015 by mortgaging jewellery that was later found to be mostly silver. In 2018, he secured another loan, bringing the total disbursed amount to nearly Rs 11 lakh. However, a recent assessment found the pledged ornaments to be worth only Rs 3.7 lakh, causing a loss of Rs 7.2 lakh to the bank. Bank manager Aditya (who goes by his first name only) said the jewellery had been certified by a well-known jeweller from Meerut's Sarafa Bazaar, and the bank had relied on that purity certificate, which turned out to be fake. SP (Rural) Rakesh Kumar Mishra said, "An FIR has been registered against both the borrower and the jeweller under IPC section 420 (cheating), 406(cfriminal breach of trust ) at Sarurpur police station. We are investigating and expect a breakthrough soon."


Time of India
15 minutes ago
- Time of India
Government disputes Vijay Mallya claims on loan repayment and outstanding dues
NEW DELHI: Govt and banks have called out Vijay Mallya 's claims of being harassed by lenders despite having cleared their outstanding debts, arguing that the bankrupt businessman still owes a large amount of money to creditors. When the case was filed in the debt recovery tribunal in June 2013, the consolidated non-performing (NPA) outstanding of Kingfisher Airlines was pegged at Rs 6,848 crore, which included non-cumulative redeemable preference shares. Including the accrued interest and other charges of Rs 10,933 crore, according to the DRT decree, the total liability due to the creditors added up to Rs 17,781 crore as of April 10. Against this, banks have recovered Rs 10,815 crore, leaving them with a gap of Rs 6,997 crore, which is yet to be recovered, govt sources said. Mallya claimed that he paid Rs 14,000 crore to banks against loans of Rs 6,200 crore. Any loan comes with interest until the amount is fully paid. In the case of loan defaulters, such as Mallya, there is also a penal interest. The flamboyant businessman, known to live life king-size, seems to have based his claims on clearing the principal, and not the outstanding. The fugitive, who is seeking to block his return to India to face legal action, made similar claims in the past. With Mallya fleeing the country, banks stepped up efforts to recover their dues and were permitted by PMLA courts to sell the property that was attached by enforcement agencies on execution of a bond with the condition that in case of acquittal of the borrowers, the lenders would return the assets. Banks have sold a majority of the properties, including the famous Kingfisher Villa in Goa, and recovered Rs 10,815 crore. Sources said that the recovery process is in line with the board-approved policies of banks. "The norms are uniform irrespective of who the borrower is or from which part of the country or community he or she comes from. So, any allegation or claim made by Vijay Mallya regarding recoveries under any undue influence or under media pressure or due to an inherent bias against him is misconstrued and completely baseless," said a source. The loans to Kingfisher, which were restructured by some of the lenders, are also under the scanner with senior executives such as former IDBI Bank chief Yogesh Agarwal also arrested by CBI for alleged irregularities. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
&w=3840&q=100)

Business Standard
19 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Wipro promoter entities swap 1.93% stake valued at over ₹5,000 crore
About 20.23 crore shares of Wipro, amounting to a 1.93 per cent stake, were exchanged among promoter group entities through open market transactions on Monday, according to exchange data. Wipro shares rose by 1.09 per cent to close at Rs 251.30 on BSE. The stock closed 1.26 per cent higher at Rs 251.72 apiece on the National Stock Exchange (NSE). According to the block deal data available with the NSE, promoter entity Azim Premji Trust offloaded 20.23 crore equity shares or 1.93 per cent stake in Wipro. The transaction, valued at around Rs 5,057 crore, was executed at an average price of Rs 250 per share. Meanwhile, Premji Invest through its arm Prazim Trading and Investment Company Pvt Ltd, Hasham Traders and Prazim Traders bought these shares at the same price. Prazim, Zash and Hasham Traders are part of Wipro's promoter group. In November last year, Premji Invest through Prazim Trading and Investment Company purchased 8.49 crore shares or 1.6 per cent stake in Wipro for Rs 4,757 crore, while Prazim and Zash Traders offloaded an equal number of shares in the IT company.