[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The first phase of the ambitious Bharatmala Pariyojana (BMP), having a capital outlay of Rs 6.92 lakh crore, is likely to commence before the end of 2018, Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, said recently.
The umbrella programme for the highways sector, which will subsume the National Highways Development Programme (NHDP), recently received Cabinet approval for the first phase.
The project will be taken up in two phases of 24,800 km and 30,600 km each.
BMP has identified 26,200 km of economic corridors, 15,800 km of feeder roads, 13,100 km of national corridors, 5,200 km of border and international connectivity roads, 3,300 km of coastal roads and 1,800 km of expressways for construction, reports said.
Logistics parks would also be developed under BMP near major metro cities to increase carriage capacity of trucks in order to improve supply chain management.
The Minister stressed that Bharatmala Pariyojana is the biggest infrastructure project in Indian history, connecting border areas, coastal regions, tourist and pilgrimage sites and port areas.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
