Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced on Wednesday, 1 July 2026 that the Union Cabinet, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved a major underground road tunnel project linking Dwarka Expressway (NH-248BB) to Nelson Mandela Marg in Vasant Kunj, aimed at transforming east-west and north-south connectivity across Delhi-NCR.

Context

The approved project involves an 8.1 kilometre, 6-lane twin-tube underground tunnel at an estimated cost of Rs 6,969.67 crore. Chouhan stated that the tunnel will make travel between west and south Delhi faster, smoother and safer, with direct benefits for commuters from Gurugram, Dwarka, Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport and western Delhi heading to south Delhi. In his post on X, the minister described the project as 'aatyadhunik pariyojana' — an ultra-modern project — that will give new momentum to better connectivity, employment generation and the vision of a 'Viksit Bharat' (Developed India).

Policy Backdrop

The approval builds on the Bharatmala Pariyojana, launched in 2017, which has driven accelerated national highway and expressway development across the country, including multiple NCR corridors. Earlier cabinet approvals for phases of the Dwarka Expressway were granted between 2018 and 2021 as part of a broader urban decongestation strategy for the National Capital Region. The choice of a twin-tube underground alignment reflects a deliberate policy to reconcile highway expansion with the protection of Delhi's Southern Ridge, a notified forest zone that surface-level construction would have disturbed. Chouhan noted that the tunnel design preserves the Southern Ridge forest area, making it 'a powerful symbol of the balance between development and environment.'

Stakeholders and Impact

The project is expected to benefit millions of daily commuters across Delhi-NCR, including residents of Gurugram and Dwarka, frequent flyers using IGI Airport, and patients and staff at AIIMS. A proposed elevated corridor from AIIMS to Mahipalpur will connect the new tunnel to the existing Barapulla Elevated Road, further strengthening south Delhi's integration with the wider NCR network. The project is also expected to generate significant employment during both construction and operational phases, a point Chouhan highlighted explicitly in his announcement.

What's Next

Execution will be overseen by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), with construction timelines and land acquisition processes to be finalised in the coming months. The integration milestone to watch is the completion of the AIIMS-Mahipalpur elevated corridor, which is critical to realising the full connectivity loop between the new tunnel and the Barapulla network. Parliamentary updates and NHAI progress reports will indicate whether the project stays on schedule within its approved cost envelope of Rs 6,969.67 crore.