Bengaluru
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, revealed on Thursday that the Bengaluru-Chennai Express Highway is set to be launched by the end of this year or in January 2024. This monumental infrastructure development is expected to significantly reduce the travel time between the two major cities, cutting it down to just two hours. Speaking during the 75th-anniversary celebrations of Ashok Leyland, Gadkari emphasized the importance of this highway project. He also highlighted the extensive infrastructure initiatives taking place across the country, revealing that Chennai will soon be seamlessly connected with Delhi via the access-controlled highway project. Today, I reviewed the progress of National Highways projects in Chennai. The Bengaluru-Chennai express highway will commence by the end of this year or in January 2024. So, you can launch luxury buses and sleeper coaches in this sector, the minister stated. Gadkari, who recently launched Ashok Leyland’s groundbreaking IeV series—India’s first electric commercial vehicles in its category—underscored the increasing demand for electric buses in the country. He emphasized the government’s commitment to constructing high-quality roads and reiterated plans to connect Delhi to Chennai through a well-planned route that includes Surat, Nasik, Ahmednagar, Kurnool, Chennai, Kanyakumari, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. Furthermore, he revealed that his ministry is actively working on the development of an electric cable highway between the national capital and Jaipur. Gadkari urged Ashok Leyland and other industry players to explore the production of vehicles that can utilize biofuels or alternative energy sources, such as electric vehicles, on a larger scale. This, he believes, will contribute significantly to the government’s vision of achieving a five-trillion-dollar economy. Gadkari also shared his long-standing vision of diversifying agriculture into the energy and power sector, emphasizing the importance of alternative fuels.
