Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said total length of the National Highways in the country increased by about 59% in the last nine years. As a result of this expansion, India now has the second largest road network, after the US.
India has the second largest road network, after the US.
Total length of National Highways was 91,287 km in 2013-14, which increased to 1,45,240 km in 2022-23, which is a rise of more than 59% during this period.
In the last nine years, the increase in 4 lane NH rose about two times. In 2013-14, this length of 4 lane NH was 18,371 km which has increased to 44,654 km in the last nine years.
The revenues from tolls rose to Rs 41,342 crore in 2022-23 from Rs 4,770 crore in 2013-14.
The Government aims to increase the toll revenue to Rs 1,30,000 crore by 2030.
In 2014, the waiting time at the toll plazas was 734 seconds, whereas in the 2023 this has reduced to 47 seconds. Government intends to bring it down to 30 second soon.
The transformative impact of FASTag on travel experiences in India
FASTag has revolutionised the concept of toll payments, eliminating the need for cash transactions.
This has saved approximately Rs 70,000 crore in wasted fuel expenses caused by waiting at the toll plazas, according to a research.
The projects worth more than Rs 2 lakh crore are being carried out in the North East region.