The government's ambitious highway expansion program is under significant strain, with a massive number of projects running behind schedule. In a detailed disclosure to Parliament, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari revealed that a staggering 574 National Highway projects, with a combined worth of Rs 3.60 lakh crore, are currently delayed.
Scale and Scope of the Delays
The minister provided a breakdown of the delays in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The data paints a concerning picture of widespread hold-ups across the country's infrastructure push. Out of the delayed projects awarded in the last five years, 300 are behind schedule by up to one year. A further 253 projects are facing delays ranging from one to three years, and a significant 21 projects have overshot their timelines by more than three years.
The challenges begin even before construction crews break ground. Gadkari flagged that 133 NH projects, valued at approximately Rs 1 lakh crore, have been awarded but have not yet reached their appointed start date. The primary reasons for this pre-construction logjam are pending prerequisites, most notably the availability of encumbrance-free land and necessary forest and wildlife clearances.
Government's Response and Construction Targets
To tackle these persistent bottlenecks, the ministry has intensified its coordination efforts with state governments and other stakeholders. The focus is on resolving the twin hurdles of land acquisition and regulatory approvals. Minister Gadkari stated that the process is being streamlined through regular review meetings and a structured mechanism designed to remove obstacles from ongoing projects.
Despite the widespread delays, the pace of highway construction continues on a large scale. Gadkari reported that the ministry has built 3,468 km of National Highways in the current financial year up to October 2025. Looking ahead, the government has set a construction target of 10,000 km for the fiscal year 2025-26. This target, the minister clarified, factors in the current pace of ongoing works and project readiness, but remains subject to the completion of essential pre-construction activities. For context, the target for 2024-25 was 10,420 km, with an actual achievement of 10,660 km.
Road Safety Metrics and Other Disclosures
In a separate response on road safety, the minister pointed to official data indicating a gradual improvement in key fatality indicators. The number of road accident deaths per 10,000 vehicles declined from 5.8 in 2018 to 4.3 in 2022. Similarly, fatalities per 10,000 km of roads decreased from 254 to 250 over the same four-year period. India is a signatory to the Stockholm Declaration on Road Safety, which commits to reducing road traffic deaths by at least 50% between 2020 and 2030.
The minister also disclosed concerning data on bus fires. According to information available on the Electronic Detailed Accident Report (eDAR) portal, 45 incidents of buses catching fire while in operation were recorded between January 1, 2021, and December 10, 2025. These tragic incidents resulted in 64 fatalities.
