Sub-Rs 1k crore shortcut on Bharatmala map

New Delhi: The yet-to-be-awarded projects under Bharatmala Pariyojana that were halted in November 2023 will now be awarded directly by the ministry of road transport and highways.

Projects costing less than ₹1,000 crore will be awarded over the next few months, a senior official said.

The government is looking to fast-track the award of road contracts that had considerably slowed down this fiscal year, with Bharatmala being put on hold due to cost escalation.

The ministry is in the process of inviting bids for some of these leftover projects and preparing the detailed project reports for others, a person familiar with the development told ET on the condition of anonymity.

The government envisaged creation of 34,800 km of highways under the umbrella scheme in 2017, at an estimated expenditure of ₹6,92,324 crore.

However, only a total aggregate length of 27,391 km, with a total capital cost of ₹8,75,774 crore, has been approved and awarded till date under phase I.