Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for three major National Highway projects worth over ₹2,000 crore in Puducherry, marking a significant step toward improving regional connectivity and easing traffic congestion in the Union Territory.
The event was attended by Lt. Governor K. Kailashnathan, Chief Minister N. Rangaswamy, Union Minister L. Murugan, state ministers, MPs, MLAs, and senior officials.
The projects include a 4 km elevated corridor between Indira Gandhi Square and Rajiv Gandhi Square on NH-32 (foundation stone laid); improvements to the 14 km ECR Road on NH-332A (foundation stone laid); and inauguration of the 38 km four-lane Puducherry-Poondiyankuppam section of NH-32.
These developments are expected to reduce travel time within the urban stretch from 35 minutes to just 10 minutes, significantly decongest the city, and lower fuel consumption and vehicular emissions.
The enhanced highway network will ease access for pilgrims visiting the Manakula Vinayagar Temple, Natarajar Temple, Navagraha Temples, and Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Motorists from Viluppuram heading toward Cuddalore, Chidambaram, and Nagapattinam will now be able to bypass Puducherry town, saving nearly 50 minutes of travel time.
The projects are expected to give a major fillip to tourism and trade, strengthening Puducherry’s position as a hub of culture, commerce, and connectivity.
Recalling the words of John F. Kennedy – “America is rich because American roads are good” – Gadkari underscored the transformative power of infrastructure. “Since 2014, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has made infrastructure development a top national priority,” he said.
Highlighting achievements, Gadkari noted that India’s National Highway network is now among the largest in the world, with strong emphasis on innovation, sustainability, and efficiency. He also shared the government’s initiatives to use municipal waste in road construction, pointing out that 80 lakh tonnes have already been used, including at the Ghazipur landfill site, where the waste mound height was reduced by 7 metres.
The Minister emphasized that the use of NHAI resources to create lakes and water conservation infrastructure demonstrates a commitment to sustainable development.
He also linked infrastructure development to economic growth, pointing out that India’s economy is now the fourth largest globally, with a goal of becoming the third. He highlighted the shift toward biofuels and electric mobility in agriculture and logistics to reduce costs and increase competitiveness.
Gadkari cited reports from Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, and Indian Institute of Management Bangalore to underline the drop in logistics costs from 16% to 10%, with a single-digit target by December.
He also noted that India now ranks third globally in automobile manufacturing, with the sector valued at ₹22 lakh crore and creating 4.5 crore jobs.
New Project Announcements
Gadkari also announced approval for new projects:
* Four-lane elevated corridor (3 km) connecting Natesan Nagar to Marapalam Junction and four-lane Ariyankuppam-Mullodai section (13.5 km) – ₹650 crore
* Four-lane Marakkanam-Puducherry section of NH 332A (46 km) – ₹2,200 crore
* Six-lane elevated corridor from Madurai to Sriperumbudur on NH 48 (8 km) – ₹1,600 crore
* Strengthening of NH 32 section in Karaikal district (22 km) – ₹60 crore
* Six-lane elevated corridor from KCBT Bus Terminal to Mahindra City at Chengalpattu on NH 32 – ₹3,000 crore
He further shared that ₹25,000 crore worth of National Highway projects have been planned for Puducherry – of which projects worth ₹3,100 crore (85 km) are completed, ₹11,000 crore (200 km) are ongoing, and ₹10,300 crore (103 km) are in the pipeline. An additional ₹100 crore will be allocated under the Setu Bandhan Scheme for small bridges.
Reiterating his ministry’s stance, Gadkari assured that all infrastructure projects will maintain transparency, timeliness, and quality, with zero tolerance for corruption or poor workmanship.
“These projects are not just about building roads; they’re about building India’s future,” the Minister said.