India's Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has announced that the construction work of the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway will be completed by the end of December 2023. This will significantly reduce the travel time between Delhi and Dehradun, with the journey expected to take just two hours starting from January 1, 2024, compared to the current six hours.
During a visit to Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh on Sunday, the union minister said that the all-weather road project will make year-round Char Dham Yatra possible. The Char Dham Yatra is a popular pilgrimage in India, which sees devotees visit four holy shrines in the Himalayas, including Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath.
"Char Dham Yatra goes on for six months at present. But, once the all-weather road project is complete, devotees can visit the Himalayan temples throughout the year," said Gadkari.
In addition to the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway project, the minister also announced that work on the ropeway project in Kedarnath has begun. The foundation stone of the project was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October 2022. The 12.97-km ropeway, which will be the longest in the world at an altitude of 11,500 feet, will go from Sonprayag to the Kedarnath temple in the Himalayas.
The construction of these projects is expected to provide a major boost to the tourism industry in the region, as well as improving connectivity between Delhi and Dehradun. The government of India has been focusing on improving infrastructure in the country, with several major road and rail projects currently underway. The development of new infrastructure is expected to create employment opportunities and drive economic growth in the coming years.