‘Bharatmala Pariyojana’

• A total of 322 projects in a length of 12,413 Km have been awarded under Bharatmala Pariyojana till August, 2020. Further, 2921 Km has been constructed under the Project till the same date.

• Bharatmala Pariyojana is an umbrella program for the highways sector that focuses on optimizing efficiency of freight and passenger movement across the country by bridging critical infrastructure gaps through effective interventions.
• The launch of the scheme has been done for bring a new wave of development in the nation in the form of well-maintained and developed roads. Under this project, the construction of roads, in all parts of the nation will be undertaken.

Present Status

• A total of 322 projects in a length of 12,413 Km have been awarded under Bharatmala Pariyojana till August, 2020. Further, 2921 Km has been constructed under the Project.
• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has taken up detailed review of NHs network and has given overall investment approval for Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase I Scheme for development of about 34,800 km (including 10,000 Km residual NHDP stretches)  at an estimated outlay of Rs 5,35,000 Crore.

Features of the Scheme

• Total road construction- As per the draft of the scheme, government and the ministry will strive to complete new roads, which will add up to a whopping 34, 800 kms.
• Integrated scheme- The Bharatmala is the name that is given to the road development and it will include many other related schemes as well. With the completion of all the schemes, the overall success of the scheme will be guaranteed.
• Total tenure of the program-The central government has the plans of finishing the scheme within a span of five years. Thus, all is set for finishing the first phase before the end of 2022.
• Segmentation in phases- Due to the sheer magnitude and spread of the scheme, it will be divided into seven distinct phases. As of now, the first phase in under construction.
• Constriction on a daily basis- To finish the first phase in time, the respective department has made efforts of constructing at least 18 km of path on a daily basis. To beat the clock, continued efforts are being made to raise it to 30 km/day.
• Different categories of road construction- It has been highlighted in the official draft of the scheme that to provide better connectivity, the construction of various categories of roads will be undertaken.
• Multi-source of finding- One source will not be enough for funding a mammoth project. Thus, the government will have to depend on other sources for generating adequate money to meet the expenses.
• A total of around 24,800 kms are being considered in Phase I of Bharatmala. In addition, BharatmalaPariyojana phase -I also includes 10,000 kms of balance road works under NHDP, taking the total to 34,800 kms at an estimated cost of Rs.5,35,000 crore. Bharatmala Phase I - is to be implemented over a five years period of i.e. 2017-18 to 2021-22.

Bharatmala project category

• Economic Corridor- As per the guidelines of the road construction project, the construction of 9000kms of Economic Corridors will be undertaken by the central government.
• Feeder Route or Inter Corridor- The total length of the roads, which fall under the Feeder Route or Inter Corridor category, is a whopping 6000kms.
• National Corridor Efficiency Improvement- 5000kms of roads, constructed under the scheme will fall in the category of National Corridor for the better connection between roads.
• Border Road and International Connectivity- Connecting the cities and remote areas, which are situated in the border regions, the project has kept provision for constructing 2000kms roads that fall in the Border Road or International Connectivity category.
• Port Connectivity and Coastal Road- To connect the areas that are dotted along the shorelines and important ports, the central government has ordered the construction of 2000km of roads.
• Green Field Expressway- The main stress will be given on the construction and development of Green Field Expressway for better management of traffic and freight.
• Balance NHDP Works- Under the last segment, the project will see a construction and maintenance of about 10,000kms of new roads.

Significance of the project

• Bharatmala Pariyojana will enhance the efficiency of freight and passenger movement across the country by bridging critical infrastructure gaps through effective interventions.
• It will bring Improvement in efficiency of existing corridors through development of Multimodal Logistics Parks and elimination of choke point.
• It will enhance focus on improving connectivity in North East and leveraging synergies with Inland Waterways.
• It emphasis on use of technology & scientific planning for Project Preparation and Asset Monitoring.

Conclusion

For connecting the areas and maintaining smooth flow of traffic, the construction of new and developed roads are a must. The same will be achieved with the implementation of the Bharatmala project. Under the scheme, a host of new roads will be laid down in the nation which would further help in development by enhancing the infrastructure efficiency.