Delhi-Katra Expressway Completion Delayed by a Year: Govt.

Travelers will have to wait at least another year for the seamless Delhi-Katra expressway journey, as the project faces delays. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways informed Lok Sabha that two key sections of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway in Punjab are now scheduled for completion by March 2026, while two additional link roads will be ready by April 2027.

The ₹40,000 crore, 667-km greenfield expressway was originally targeted for completion by late 2023 to cut Delhi-Katra travel time to under eight hours. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had awarded five out of 21 construction packages in March 2021.

The 158-km Haryana stretch is expected to be ready by April 2025, but delays in Punjab due to land acquisition hurdles and contractual issues have pushed back timelines. One 30-km section in Punjab saw its contract terminated due to land acquisition problems. The government stated that work on the affected section will resume once these issues are resolved.

ET