India’s tunnelling projects surge: 69 tunnels under construction at Rs 400 billion investment
India is ramping up its tunnelling infrastructure with 69 tunnels covering 134 km currently under construction, backed by a Rs 400 billion investment, as announced by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, at FICCI’s Tunnelling India conference. Additionally, 35 tunnels totalling 49 km have been completed, with Rs 150 billion spent.
The government plans to build 74 more tunnels spanning 273 km, with a projected investment of Rs 1,000 billion. Gadkari stressed the need to adopt cost-effective, high-quality technologies and terrain-specific approaches, especially in challenging Himalayan areas. He suggested innovative solutions like precast technology and reusing excavated materials to cut costs.
Gadkari emphasized the importance of performance audits over financial audits to ensure project efficiency. Bhavani Koneru from FICCI highlighted the need to develop homegrown tunnelling technologies and localize the supply chain to reduce reliance on imports, advocating for the production of components like rubber gaskets domestically.