Golden Quadrilateral

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Map showing the Golden Quadrilateral and other National Highways
Map showing the Golden Quadrilateral and other National Highways
A section of the Golden Quadrilateral highway from Chennai - Bangalore
A section of the Golden Quadrilateral highway from Chennai - Bangalore

The Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) is the largest express highway project in India launched by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It is the first phase of the National Highways Development Project (NHDP), and consists of building 5,846 kilometres of four/six lane express highways connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai (thus forming a quadrilateral of sorts), at a cost of Rs. 60,000 crores (US$ 12.317 billion) (at 1999 prices) (Rs 580 billion). The National Highways Authority of India has produced statistics to indicate that, as of September 2007, 96%[1] of the entire work has been completed. However, these statistics appear to be misleading: in practice, roadworks are still a major feature of certain sections of the Golden Quadrilateral. For example, the statistics indicate that the Delhi to Mumbai section is 100% complete, whereas in reality there are a number of sections which are still single carriageway and in very poor repair (for example the stretch to Ahmadabad in Gujarat). The whole project is a few years behind schedule, due mainly to issues with the various states about giving up land for the national highway and the termination of several contracts which take 6 months to be issued.[2] In January, 2008 it was announced that the project will now be expanded to cover 6,500 kilometers, some portions of which will be developed into eight lanes.

The GQ project is managed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) under the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways. The Mumbai-Pune Expressway, the first controlled-access toll road to be built in India is a part of the GQ Project though not funded by NHAI. Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) has been one of the major contributors to the infrastructural development activity in the GQ project.

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[edit] Economic benefits

This highway will interconnect many major cities and ports. It will give an impetus to truck transport throughout India. It will help in the industrial growth of all small towns through which it passes. It will provide vast opportunities for transport of agricultural produce from the hinterland to major cities and ports for export. In addition, it will provide job opportunities in its construction as well as demand for cement, steel and other construction materials.

[edit] Controversies and charges of corruption

The project involves an enormous outlay of funds and has been the focus of several charges of corruption. In August 2003, project director Satyendra Dubey, in a letter to the Prime Minister, outlined a list of malafide actions in a segment of this highway in Bihar. Dubey claimed that the contractors for this stretch were not executing the project themselves, but had sub-contracted the work to small builders who lacked technical expertise. This would lead to substandard work, he claimed. Within months of this whistleblowing action, Dubey was brutally assassinated in Gaya, Bihar. It is not clear that any action was taken by NHAI on the more germane issues raised by Dubey.

In February 2006, a 600 meter stretch of the highway connecting Kolkata to Chennai subsided into the ground, opening up ten meter gorges near Bally, West Bengal 2. This stretch had been completed a year back by a Malaysian multinational firm, selected after global tendering.

[edit] Current status

No. Route National Highway No. Length Completed (km) Total Length (km) Percent Completed (%) As of (date)
1. Delhi-Kolkata NH-2 1419 1453 97.66 2 Jun 2008
2. Kolkata-Chennai NH-5 1578 1684 93.70 2 Jun 2008
3. Chennai-Mumbai NH-4 / 7 / 46 1253 1290 97.13 2 Jun 2008
4. Mumbai-Delhi NH-8 / 76 / 79 1419 1419 100 Nov 2006
5. TOTAL G.Q - 5669 5846 97.12 2 Jun 2008

[edit] Major cities

The completed Golden Quadrilateral will pass through many major cities throughout the length and breadth of India.


[edit] NH-8 / NH-76 / NH-79 (Delhi - Mumbai)

[edit] NH-4 / NH-7 / NH-46 (Mumbai - Chennai)

[edit] NH-4 (Mumbai-Bangalore)

[edit] NH-7 (Bangalore - Krishnagiri)

[edit] NH-46 (Krishnagiri - Ranipet)

[edit] NH-4 (Ranipet - Chennai)

[edit] NH-5 (Kolkata-Chennai)

[edit] Future Plans

Sections of NH-2, NH-5 and NH-8 have now been prioritized for further widening to six lanes under DBFO (Design, Build, Finance, Operate) pattern and more sections would be six-laned in the near future.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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