Vehicles will be able to speed from Kota to Delhi by the end of the year on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway (Bharatmala Project). The final phase of finishing work on the Kota-Delhi route is underway, but work on the country's first 8-lane tunnel, being built in Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve, is yet to be completed. This may take another four months.
On the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, the 26.5 km work of Package Number 10 between Kota and Delhi is in the final stage. High-tension lines are intersecting the expressway alignment in two places between Simaliya and Faghi in Jaipur within this package. Both lines need to be shifted. For one line, a one-month shutdown is planned for September to carry out the work.
After this, the shifting of the second line will be undertaken. A shutdown will also be required for this work. The finishing work on the route is in the final stages and will be completed by the end of November. Therefore, the operation of vehicles from Kota to Delhi will commence in early December. Work was affected due to the damage to the routes leading to the construction site caused by heavy rainfall. Bharatsingh, Project Director of Dausa PIU, is overseeing the work of this package from Sawai Madhopur.
Currently, the expressway can be accessed from Kota to Laban in Bundi district. After this, one has to join the Kota-Lalasoth mega highway from the expressway. After travelling approximately 60 km on this highway, the expressway can be accessed again from Kushthala in Sawai Madhopur to reach Delhi. The completion of this package is the only remaining work for the commencement of the Kota-Delhi route.
Sandeep Agrawal, Project Director of the National Highways Authority of India, says that in the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, the boundaries of Ranthambore in Sawai Madhopur, Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve in Bundi district, and Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve in Kota, all fall within the state.
Therefore, it took considerable time to obtain construction approvals and complete the formalities. Furthermore, during the construction of the 4.9 km long tunnel in the Mukundra Reserve, the presence of loose stones and a mountain stream in the middle of the hill caused delays in the tunnel work. The deadline for this has been extended to February 2026.
Work on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway began in 2019. It was targeted for completion in four years by 2023, but due to various obstacles at several locations, it could not be completed. Now, its completion is expected in 2026. Upon completion, the improved connectivity of Kota with Delhi and Mumbai will directly benefit the common people, farmers, and traders. Furthermore, the connectivity between Kota, Jaipur, and Sawai Madhopur will also improve.
