The nearly 1,400-km-long Delhi-Mumbai Expressway will have eight lanes
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's big infrastructure push is being seen as the BJP's starting point on the road to the 2024 general election.
The Rajasthan section of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, which will cut down driving time between the two major cities by half to only 12 hours, will be inaugurated on Sunday. Today, PM Modi flagged off the high-speed Vande Bharat Express in Mumbai.
"I thank PM Modi for this gift to the people of Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, and devotees of Shirdi Saibaba," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
Though these infrastructure projects have been going on for several years, they are getting the final touches a year before the national election that the BJP is confident of winning and would propel PM Modi to a third term.
The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway will connect five states - Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The Rajasthan leg is set for inauguration on Sunday. The assembly election will be held in the Congress-ruled state this year. Some see politics embedded into these projects ahead of the election next year.
The nearly 1,400-km-long Delhi-Mumbai Expressway will have eight lanes and will be India's longest expressway. Built at a staggering cost of over Rs 1 lakh crore, it is an engineering marvel.
"Right now, our 246-km stretch is fully ready. There is an interchange at about 180 km, which goes directly to Jaipur. The Dausa section is ready. We can reach Jaipur in about two to two-and-a-half hours," National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) Project Director Mudit Garg said.
The expressway will have wayside amenities ranging from electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, helipads, trauma care centres and dedicated lanes for EVs. The government says it is Asia's first highway to have animal overpasses and wildlife crossings.
The top speed on the expressway will be 120 kmph for all vehicles, helping save fuel. The estimated savings are nearly 300 million litres of fuel and 800 million kilograms of carbon emissions every year.