Bharatmala costs surge by Rs 100 million per km

The Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase 1, aimed at developing 74,942 km of national highways, has encountered significant cost escalations. While only 75.62 per cent of the approved length has been awarded, the project has already utilised 158.24 per cent of the approved financial outlay. This is due to enhanced specifications and alterations in project scope, which have driven up costs by approximately Rs 0.1 billion per km.
Consequently, the sanctioned civil cost stands at Rs 0.23 billion per km, far exceeding the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)-approved cost of Rs 0.13 billion per km. Similarly, the pre-construction cost has risen to Rs 0.08 billion per km from the CCEA-approved Rs 0.01 billion per km. Moreover, funds from other schemes amounting to Rs 1,573.24 billion were redirected to report project achievements.