NEW DELHI: CM Rekha Gupta attended the inauguration of the Delhi–Dehradun highway on Tuesday and said travel time between the two cities will be reduced from nearly six hours to around two-and-a-half hours.
“This is the power of a ‘double-engine’ government. Delhi is continuously moving towards better development. In the past year, the Centre has carried out road infrastructure projects worth approximately Rs 1.25 lakh crore in Delhi,” the chief minister said.
She added that 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’. She thanked the Prime Minister for spearheading multiple projects aligned with Delhi’s growing needs.
Gupta 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 expressway, the chief minister said it is not merely a road project but a vital link connecting 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 just 2–2.5 hours, bringing substantial relief to commuters while 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—an indicator of accelerated infrastructure growth.
Referring to ‘double-engine governance’, she said better coordination between the Centre and the Delhi government is helping the capital move ahead faster. Several key roads have been handed over to the National Highways Authority of India for improved maintenance and quicker upgrades.