Gandhinagar: The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, which is India’s longest high-speed corridor, was scheduled to open to the public in 2024. However, due to difficulties in acquiring land, the expressway is unlikely to be completed before the general elections in 2024.

The bidding process for the two expressway stretches in Gujarat is facing a significant delay, and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has not yet specified the date to begin construction. Although NHAI has already awarded the contracts for the construction of a 35-km stretch in Valsad district for Rs 3,633 crore and another 27-km stretch in Navsari district for Rs 2,287 crore, the construction work has not begun in either case due to the contractors facing land acquisition issues, stated Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in a report.

The ministry informed Rajya Sabha that the progress of the construction of the other stretch of the expressway project, which has already commenced, is also very slow. The progress of this stretch has been reported to be in the range of 3% to 28%.

The construction of the link road from the DND Flyway in Delhi and another from the upcoming Noida airport, which was added later, is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.

The Delhi-Mumbai expressway is a 1386-km-long greenfield project that is expected to reduce travel time between Delhi and Mumbai by 50% from the current 24 hours to 12 hours, covering six states and connecting major cities. The first corridor of the expressway, the 246-km Delhi-Dausa-Lalsot section, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 12. DeshGujarat