The 262-km long Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway would be ready by January 2024 and it would significantly cut travelling time – to two hours, said Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.
“The central government is building 36 green expressway projects. I took a review of Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway which would be completed by the end of this year and operational in January,” he said while addressing an event organised to mark the 75th Anniversary of Ashok Leyland, India’s second largest medium and heavy commercial vehicle maker and is part of the Hinduja group.
He also said the Surat-Chennai Expressway, which is being built, would reduce the distance between Delhi-Chennai by 300 km. The overall objective of the Centre is to reduce logistics costs in India to 9 per cent from the current level of 14-16 per cent, he added.
Automobile sector
Gadkari asserted that the automobile sector is the growth engine of India and contributed 6.5 per cent to India’s GDP. The Indian automobile sector is the third largest in the world and also contributes the maximum GST to the Central and state governments. “We aim to become number 1 in the automobile sector,” he said.
The automobile sector would play a key role in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a $5 trillion economy.
Gadkari also pointed out that hydrogen is the fuel of the future and highlighted the efforts towards promoting alternative fuels such as battery-powered ones, ethanol and methanol, among others.
Tamil Nadu Industries Minister T.R.B. Rajaa recalled the history of Ashok Leyland in the state and said the company stay invested in Tamil Nadu.
“Ashok Leyland’s 75-year journey is a story of transformation and innovation. We have set our sights on pioneering sustainable transportation solutions and aim to support India’s economic development for years to come,” Dheeraj Hinduja, Chairman of Ashok Leyland and Switch Mobility said.