One of India’s most ambitious road projects, the 1,386km Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, is facing serious delays owing to land acquisition issues in the state of Gujarat, The Times of India reports.
Ministers laid the foundation stone for the project in March 2019, expecting it to be finished in 2021.
But to date, separate stretches amounting to just 630km are open.
The approximately $13bn road is intended to cut the drive time between Delhi and Mumbai in half, from 24 hours to 12.
Citing a former government highways official, the Times said two 62km sections in Gujarat only saw bidding start in November 2023.
Work on one of them started this April, while the other started just this month.
“Non-availability of land is the biggest hurdle in the execution of road projects,” the former official told the newspaper.
“The state governments concerned need to take proactive steps to ensure land acquisition is completed and required patches are handed over.
“It’s far more important when we are building greenfield or new alignment highways and expressways.”
Officials told the Times they were confident the whole expressway would be open by October 2025.
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