Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju announced on Wednesday, 1 July 2026 that the Union Cabinet has approved the construction of a 6-lane tunnel connecting Dwarka Expressway with Nelson Mandela Marg, Vasant Kunj, in a move the government says will ease congestion and protect the Southern Ridge Forest in south Delhi.

Context

Posting on X, Rijiju credited the decision to the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating the project would 'improve connectivity, reduce travel time, ease congestion and support sustainable urban development by preserving the Southern Ridge Forest.' The Cabinet approval marks a significant addition to the Delhi-NCR road infrastructure network, which has seen sustained investment over the past decade.

The tunnel will serve as a direct link between the Dwarka Expressway — a 29-km arterial corridor connecting Dwarka to Gurugram — and Nelson Mandela Marg, one of south Delhi's key arterial roads passing through Vasant Kunj. By routing traffic underground, the project aims to sidestep surface-level encroachment on the ridge forest, which has been the subject of environmental litigation for years.

Policy Backdrop

The approval fits within the broader Bharatmala Pariyojana framework, launched in 2015, which targets the development of expressways, tunnels, and multimodal corridors across India to improve freight and passenger movement. The Dwarka Expressway itself received Cabinet approval for Phase 1 in 2016, with elevated corridors and interchanges added progressively, sections of which opened from 2021 onward.

Urban planners have long identified the Dwarka–Vasant Kunj corridor as a congestion pinch point, with surface-level road expansion constrained by the Southern Ridge Forest, a protected green belt forming part of the Aravalli range. A tunnel solution has been discussed in planning circles as a way to reconcile mobility demands with conservation obligations.

Stakeholders and Impact

Delhi commuters travelling between the western Dwarka sub-city, Gurugram, and the south Delhi commercial and residential belt stand to benefit most directly from reduced travel times. The Southern Ridge Forest, which has faced pressure from urban sprawl and earlier road-widening projects, is positioned in the government's framing as a beneficiary of the underground alignment.

Environmental groups and urban planners will closely watch the Environmental Impact Assessment process that must precede construction. Past projects in the ridge vicinity have drawn scrutiny from the National Green Tribunal, making regulatory clearance a critical milestone before ground is broken.

What's Next

The project now moves toward tendering, detailed project report finalisation, and mandatory environmental clearances. Integration with existing Dwarka Expressway interchanges and the broader Delhi road network will determine the tunnel's operational effectiveness once complete. The government's stated dual objective — faster urban connectivity alongside ridge preservation — will be tested through the clearance and construction phases that follow this Cabinet green light.