National High-Speed Corridor and Greenfield Expressway Construction Progress
UPSC / SSC current affairs note · Governance
Why in news
The government has outlined a framework for regular review of all ongoing National Highway projects, including National High-Speed Corridors and Greenfield Expressways. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari provided state-wise details in a Rajya Sabha reply, highlighting that 10,389 km of corridors have been approved, with 4,809 km completed and 5,580 km under construction.
Background
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is implementing National High-Speed Corridors and Greenfield Expressways to enhance connectivity and reduce travel time. The projects involve multiple stakeholders, including state governments, and require streamlined land acquisition and environmental clearances.
Key facts
Total approved length of National High-Speed Corridor projects: 10,389 km.
Completed length: 4,809 km; under construction: 5,580 km.
Rajasthan has the highest total allocated length (1,340 km), followed by Punjab (923 km) and Uttar Pradesh (884 km).
Initiatives to expedite projects include the 'Bhoomi Rashi' portal for land acquisition, GIS-based land acquisition planning, and restructuring the 'Parivesh' portal for faster environmental clearances.
Online approval of General Arrangement Drawings (GAD) for Road Over Bridges/Road Under Bridges (ROB/RUB) from Railways has been enabled.
Review mechanisms at project, state, and central levels involve all stakeholders including state governments.
State-wise completed lengths: Rajasthan (1,192 km), Gujarat (605 km), Haryana (615 km), Delhi (100 km), etc.
State-wise under-construction lengths: Punjab (774 km), Andhra Pradesh (585 km), Bihar (589 km), etc.
Prelims pointers
- Ministry: Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
- Portals: 'Bhoomi Rashi' (land acquisition), 'Parivesh' (environmental clearance)
- GAD: General Arrangement Drawing for ROB/RUB
- National High-Speed Corridor
- Greenfield Expressway
- Rajya Sabha reply by Minister Nitin Gadkari
- Date of release: 22 JUL 2026
Mains angles
- GS3 Infrastructure: Discuss the significance of National High-Speed Corridors and Greenfield Expressways in India's economic development.
- GS2 Governance: Examine the role of inter-ministerial coordination and state-centre collaboration in infrastructure project implementation.
- GS3 Environment: Critically analyze the balance between infrastructure development and environmental clearance processes.