The government had earlier planned
The development comes barely few months after Union Minister Nitin Gadkari told that the government will soon launch the Bharatmala project to build over 20,000 km of highways in the first phase.The official said the highway projects approved on Tuesday also include economic corridor developments aimed at faster movement of cargo.The corridors included Mumbai-Cochin-Kanyakumari, Bengaluru-Mangaluru, Hyderabad-Panaji and Sambalpur-Ranchi, to name a few.
The government had earlier planned to develop economic corridors with a length of about 21,000 km besides 14,000 km of feeder routes. PIB, chaired by the expenditure secretary had later approved it.Road, Transport Minister Gadkari had earlier said detailed project reports (DPRs) are being prepared for the Bharatmala project..A study under the proposed Bharatmala project by global consultancy firm AT Kearney had identified 44 economic corridors.Other members of PIB included secretaries of economic affairs, Niti Aayog, statistics and programme implementation, environment and forests, besides the secretary of the administrative ministry concerned.
The Prime Ministers Office, earlier in 2017, had asked for Public Investment Boards (PIB) clearance to the first phase of the project.New Delhi: The government on Tuesday approved Rs 7 lakh crore worth highway projects including the ambitious Bharatmala, an official said.Bharatmala is water jet loom a mega plan of the government and the second-largest highways project after NHDP that saw development of about 50,000 km, and aims at improving connectivity in border and other areas.The Cabinet on Tuesday gave the go ahead to highway projects worth about Rs 7 lakh crore for development of over 80,000 km of highways including Bharatmala project in the next five years, an official who did not wish to be quoted, told PTI
