New Delhi, April 14 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Rakha Gupta virtually joined the inauguration ceremony of the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor held in Uttarakhand on Tuesday and hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s infrastructure push aimed at benefiting the National Capital, an official said.​

Soon after PM Modi dedicated the corridor to the nation at an event in Dehradun, the Delhi Chief Minister thanked him for spearheading multiple projects aligned with the city’s growing needs.​

Describing the occasion as special and auspicious, the Chief Minister said the expressway built at a cost of around Rs 12,000 crore would mark a significant milestone in Delhi’s development and give fresh momentum to the vision of a ‘Viksit Bharat.’​

Gupta, who was joined by Cabinet Ministers and Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva at the event, said Delhi’s transformation under the Prime Minister’s leadership is visible in the rapid expansion of infrastructure.​

She noted that projects worth nearly Rs 1.25 lakh crore are currently underway in the capital under the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, reshaping the city’s urban landscape.​

Highlighting the broader significance of the new expressway, the Chief Minister said it is not merely a road project but a vital link that connects Delhi’s modern infrastructure with the spiritual ethos of Uttarakhand, often referred to as ‘Devbhoomi’.​

“It is a true confluence of development and faith,” she said.​

The expressway is expected to reduce travel time between Delhi and Dehradun from around 6-7 hours to 2.5 hours, bringing relief to commuters and boosting tourism and economic activity.​

Gupta pointed out that India’s expressway and high-speed corridor network has expanded to over 3,000 km, while the national highway network has grown from about 51,000 km to nearly 1,46,000 km since 2014, an indicator of the country’s accelerated infrastructure growth.​

Referring to the strength of ‘double-engine governance,’ she said better coordination between the Centre and the Delhi government is helping the city move ahead at a faster pace.​

Several key roads have been handed over to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to improve maintenance and accelerate upgrades.​

She also highlighted the proposed elevated road project along the Munak canal, estimated at around Rs 5,000 crore, which is expected to improve traffic flow and significantly reduce congestion.​

–IANS

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