Parliament Question: Bharatmala Pariyojana

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO - 2189 ANSWERED ON - 11/03/2026 BHARATMALA PARIYOJANA

2189. SHRI RANDEEP SINGH SURJEWALA:

Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS be pleased to state:-

(a) the current status of the Bharatmala Pariyojana, including the total length of highway projects approved, awarded and completed between 2021-22 to 2024-25;

(b) the reasons for delays in the implementation of certain projects under the scheme and the measures taken to address these delays;

(c) whether Government has decided to halt the initiation of new projects under the Bharatmala Pariyojana and if so, the rationale behind this decision;

(d) the revised timeline and estimated cost for the completion of the remaining projects under the scheme; and

(e) the steps being taken to ensure timely completion of the ongoing projects and to mitigate cost overruns? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS (SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)

(a) to (e) Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-I was approved by the Government in 2017 covering a length of 34,800 km across the country at an estimated outlay of Rs. 5,35,000 Crore. Under the program, projects covering a total length of 26,425 km had been awarded and out of this, 22,223 km has already been constructed upto February 2026 with the balance length targeted for completion in Financial Year 2026-27. The actual cost for the implementation of the Bharatmala Pariyojana will be known on completion of the projects.

New sanctions of projects under Phase-I of Bharatmala Pariyojana have been discontinued and new projects are sanctioned under National Highway (Original) Scheme on stand alone basis with the approval of Competent Authority considering requirement of connectivity, traffic density and project synergy with the principles of PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan (NMP).

There are certain projects, which have been delayed beyond its original completion period. The primary reasons for delay in National Highway (NH) projects are issues / bottlenecks relating to land acquisition, delay in getting statutory clearances / permissions, utility shifting, encroachment removal, law & order, non-availability of construction material / minerals, poor performance of Contractor /Concessionaire, and Force Majeure events like Covid-19 pandemic, heavy rainfall, floods, cyclone, landslides / avalanches, etc. To expedite project execution, various initiatives have been undertaken.

These include streamlining and expediting the land acquisition process through Bhoomi Rashi portal, revamping the Parivesh Portal through Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to expedite forest and environmental clearances, enabling online approval of General Arrangement Drawings (GAD) for Road over Bridges (ROBs) and Road under Bridges (RUBs) from the Railways, and conducting review meetings at various levels with all stakeholders, including State Governments.

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