Bharatmala Project - Details, Expressways, Economic Corridors, Logistic Parks and More Details

A visionary initiative of the Indian government, the Bharatmala Pariyojana aims to transform the country’s road system. With its big goals and wide reach, the Bharatmala Project boosts connectivity across the country, strengthens the economy, and reduces travel times. But what exactly is this project? Let’s find out more.

About Bharatmala Project

Bharatmala is a central road and highway development project that aims to create a strong network of roads, highways, and expressways across India. The Bharatmala project aims to create a road network of 83,677 km. This ambitious scheme will entail a total investment of Rs 10.63 lakh crore. The Bharatmala project aims to connect remote and unconnected areas of the country.

Bharatmala Pariyojana is an umbrella program for road development and highways. Bharatmala will subsume all existing development projects, such as the National Highway Development Programme (NHDP).

Bharatmala Pariyojana, an ambitious highway development project, will be completed from 2017 to 2022. The major components of Bharatmala Pariyojana include the construction of economic corridors, feeder roads, inter-corridors, efficiency improvement of national corridors, logistics park interconnections, coastal and port interconnectivity roads, and border and international connectivity roads.

Bharatmala Pariyojana will connect more than 550 district headquarters of India through minimum four-lane highways. Apart from building highways and roads, a major goal of Bharatmala Pariyojana is to improve the efficiency of freight movement.

The more than 26000 km long economic corridors, together with the Golden Quadrilateral and the North-South and East-West corridors will bring more than 80 percent of freight traffic on highways, the Bharatmala Pariyojana aims to achieve this goal. Today it is about 40 percent. Bharatmala Pariyojana aims to achieve this goal by interlinking 26 logistics parks, 66 inter corridors, 116 feeder routes, and seven northeastern multi-modal waterway ports.

History and Background

The Bharatmala Pariyojana was aimed at addressing infrastructure gaps and creating a robust network of highways. The project, consisting of the Golden Quadrilateral and the National Highways Development Project (NHDP), was launched in 2017. The key milestones include the approval of Phase I, which created a comprehensive vision of the project.

Objectives of the Bharatmala Project

The objectives of the Bharatmala Project are multifaceted:

Enhancing Connectivity: Improve road links to remote areas, ports, and economic hubs.
Boosting Economic Growth: Facilitate the movement of goods and people to drive economic activities.
Reducing Travel Time: Cutting down travel distance significantly through better road networks.

Scope and Coverage

Bharatmala’s scope is vast, covering various types of road networks:

National Highways: Upgrade and expand existing highways.
Economic Corridors: Create corridors that connect industrial and economic centers.
Border and International Connectivity Roads: Strengthen road links to neighboring countries.
Coastal and Port Connectivity Roads: Enhance access to ports to boost trade.

Funding and Financials

The project’s financial blueprint is extensive:

Budget Allocation: The Indian government has allocated substantial funds to ensure the project’s success.
Funding Sources: A mix of public and private investments, including international loans Project.
Financial Challenges and Solutions: Addressing issues like cost overruns through efficient project management.

Implementation Phases

Bharatmala implementation in phases:

Phase I: Involves extensive planning, feasibility studies, and groundwork.
Phase II: Focuses on the actual execution and construction of roadways.
Phase III: Centers on monitoring progress and maintaining the infrastructure.

Bharatmala Project Map

The Bharatmala Pariyojana aims to connect, improve and decongest India’s road network and highways. The Bharatmala Pariyojana map shows interconnected economic corridors, inter corridors, feeder roads, expressways and national highways. The Bharatmala Pariyojana map explains the ambitious project.

Key Projects Under Bharatmala

Delhi-Mumbai Expressway: A game-changer for connectivity between two major cities.
Eastern Peripheral Expressway: Eases traffic congestion in the National Capital Region (NCR). These projects exemplify how Bharatmala is reshaping regional development.

Expressways Under Bharatmala Project:

Delhi-Vadodara Expressway
Ahmedabad-Dholera Expressway
Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway
Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway
Delhi-Faridabad-Sohna Expressway
Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway
Amritsar-Bhatinda-Jamnagar Corridor
Raipur-Vishakhapatnam Corridor
Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway
Durg-Raipur-Arang Corridor
Ambala-Kotputli Corridor
Chennai-Salem Corridor
Urban Extension Road II
Delhi-Dehradun Corridor
Chitoor-Thatchur Corridor
Surat-Ahmednagar Solapur
Solapur-Kurnool Corridor
Kharagpur-Siliguri Corridor (Till Morgram)
Bengaluru-Satellite Ring Road
Indore-Hyderabad Corridor
Hyderabad (Suryapet)-Vishakhapatnam (Devarpalle) Corridor
Kota–Indore (Garoth – Ujjain) Corridor
Hyderabad-Raipur Corridor
Nagpur-Vijayawada Corridor

Economic Corridors Under Bharatmala Project

Bharatmala Pariyojana has identified important ‘economic corridors’ in addition to national corridors. 9000 km will be covered in the first phase of Bharatmala Pariyojana. National corridors will not be in the “economic corridors”. Apart from EC, the first phase will have 66 inter corridors (8000 km) and 116 feeder routes (7,500 km).

EC-1: Mumbai-Kolkata
EC-2: Mumbai-Kanyakumari
EC-3: Amritsar-Jamnagar
EC-4: Kandla-Sagar
EC-5: Agra-Mumbai
EC-6: Pune-Vijayawada
EC-7: Raipur-Dhanbad
EC-8: Ludhiana-Ajmer
EC-9: Surat-Nagpur
EC-10: Hyderabad-Panaji
EC-11: Jaipur-Indore
EC-12: Solapur-Nagpur
EC-13: Sagar-Varanasi
EC-14: Kharagpur-Siliguri
EC-15: Raipur-Visakhapatnam
EC-16: Delhi-Lucknow
EC-17: Chennai-Kurnool
EC-18: Indore-Nagpur
EC-19: Chennai-Madurai
EC-20: Mangaluru-Raichur
EC-21: Tuticorin-Cochin
EC-22: Solapur-Bellary-Gooty
EC-23: Hyderabad-Aurangabad
EC-24: Delhi-Kanpur
EC-25: Tharad-Phalodi
EC-26: Nagaur-Mandi Dabwali
EC-27: Sagar-Lucknow
EC-28: Sambalpur-Paradeep
EC-29: Amreli-Vadodra
EC-30: Godhra-Khargone
EC-31: Sambalpur-Ranchi
EC-32: Bengaluru-Malappuram
EC-33: Raisen-Pathariya
EC-34: Bengaluru-Mangaluru
EC-35: Chittaurgarh-Indore
EC-36: Bilaspur-New Delhi
EC-37: Solapur-Mahabubnagar
EC-38: Bengaluru-Nellore
EC-39: Ajmer-Udaipur
EC-40: Sirsa-Delhi
EC-41: Sirohi-Beawar
EC-42: Jaipur-Agra
EC-43: Pune-Aurangabad
EC-44: North East Corridor

Logistics Parks under Bharatmala Pariyojana

Ambala
Bengaluru
Bathinda
Bhopal
Chennai
Cochin
Coimbatore
Guwahati
Hisar
Hyderabad
Indore
Jagatsinghpur
Jaipur
Jammu
Kandla
Kolkata
Kota
Nagpur
Nashik
Panaji
Patna
Pune
Raipur
Rajkot
Solan
Sundargarh
Valsad
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
Ahmedabad
Vadodara
Surat
Bharuch
Jalandhar
Amritsar
Gurdaspur
Ludhiana
Sangrur
Patiala
Delhi
Faridabad (IMT Manesar)
Narnaul (Nangal Choudhary IMHL)
Ghaziabad
Mumbai
Mumbai suburbs
Jnpt
Mumbai Port
Thane
Raigad

Technological Integration

Modern technology is a cornerstone of Bharatmala:

Advanced Construction Techniques: Utilizing modern machinery and materials.
Smart Highways and Toll Systems: Implementing automated toll collection and real-time traffic monitoring.

Environmental Considerations

Sustainability is crucial for Bharatmala:

Minimizing Environmental Impact: Conducting environmental impact assessments and adopting green practices.
Sustainable Construction Practices: Using eco-friendly materials and methods to reduce carbon footprint.

Challenges and Solutions

Every large-scale project faces hurdles:

Land Acquisition Issues: Streamlining processes to acquire land without major disputes.
Coordination Between Agencies: Ensuring smooth collaboration between various governmental bodies.
Overcoming Financial Constraints: Innovative financial models and public-private partnerships (PPPs) are key.

Impact on the Economy

Job Creation: Generating employment opportunities during construction and operation.
Boost to the Logistics Sector: Improving efficiency in goods transportation.
Regional Economic Growth: Spurring development in underdeveloped areas.

Social Impact

Beyond economics, Bharatmala has profound social implications:

Connectivity to Remote Areas: Bringing isolated regions into the mainstream.
Improved Access to Education and Healthcare: Easier travel to schools and hospitals.
Enhancing the Quality of Life: Overall improvement in living standards due to better infrastructure.

Future Prospects

Bharatmala’s future is promising:

Expansion Plans: Extending the network to cover even more areas.
Long-term Benefits: Sustained economic and social growth.
Innovations and Future Technologies: Embracing new technologies like autonomous vehicles and smart infrastructure

Conclusion

Bharatmala Pariyojana is not just about building roads; it is a journey to transform India’s infrastructure. Bharatmala is poised for a bright future with its comprehensive coverage, technological advancements, and wide-reaching economic and social impacts.

FAQs

1. What is the Bharatmala Project?

The Bharatmala Project is a government initiative aimed at improving road connectivity across India by developing national highways, economic corridors, and border roads.

2. How does Bharatmala benefit the economy?

By enhancing connectivity, reducing travel time, and boosting the logistics sector, Bharatmala drives economic growth and regional development.

3. What are the environmental impacts of Bharatmala?

While the project aims to minimize environmental damage through sustainable practices, it also involves significant construction activities that need careful management.