Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday, 2 July 2026 thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Cabinet on behalf of all Delhi residents, welcoming the cabinet's approval of an 8-kilometre Dwarka Tunnel that she said would give the capital 'new speed' in urban mobility.

Context

Posting on X in Hindi, CM Gupta wrote: 'आदरणीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री नरेंद्र मोदी जी का समस्त दिल्लीवासियों की ओर से हृदय से आभार' — 'Heartfelt gratitude to the honourable Prime Minister on behalf of all Delhi residents.' She described the Central Cabinet's clearance of the tunnel as a decision that would transform commuting across the city. The post was accompanied by four images illustrating the proposed corridor.

The approved alignment runs from Shiv Murti in the south-west, passing through Vasant Kunj, along Nelson Mandela Marg, continuing to Barapullah, and terminating at the Delhi-Noida Direct (DND) Flyway in the east. The Chief Minister said the tunnel would ease travel, save commute time, and improve connectivity to Indira Gandhi International Airport and south Delhi.

Policy Backdrop

A defining feature of the project is its sub-surface routing beneath the Delhi Ridge, a protected forested zone that cuts through the capital. By tunnelling under the Ridge rather than cutting through it, the project aims to preserve the green cover while still delivering a high-capacity corridor — an approach that echoes the underground sections built during Phase 3 of the Delhi Metro, completed in 2019.

The broader policy lineage traces to the Bharatmala Pariyojana framework, launched in 2015, which identified tunnels and elevated corridors across Delhi-NCR to reduce surface congestion while protecting ecologically sensitive land. The Dwarka Tunnel fits squarely within that template, extending the central government's strategy of routing new road infrastructure underground in dense urban zones.

Stakeholders and Impact

The corridor is expected to benefit daily commuters travelling between south-west Delhi and the eastern stretches of the city, as well as air travellers heading to or from IGI Airport. Residents of Vasant Kunj — a densely populated residential and commercial precinct — stand to gain a direct underground link that bypasses surface bottlenecks on Nelson Mandela Marg and the Outer Ring Road.

The tunnel's eastern terminus at DND Flyway also positions it as a cross-city connector, potentially reducing pressure on parallel surface arteries that currently carry heavy mixed traffic. Environmental advocates are likely to watch the Ridge-protection provisions closely as the project moves toward detailed engineering.

What's Next

Cabinet approval marks the first formal milestone; several stages remain before construction can begin. A detailed project report must be finalised, followed by environment ministry clearance — a step that will scrutinise the tunnel's impact on the Delhi Ridge ecosystem. Tendering by the National Highways Authority of India is expected to follow once statutory clearances are in place.

With both the central government and the BJP-led Delhi government aligned on the project, political momentum is strong. The speed of regulatory approvals and the resolution of any Ridge-related environmental objections will determine how quickly the capital sees shovels in the ground under the banner of #ViksitDelhi.