The minister also stated that 133 NH projects, with a total cost of about Rs 1 lakh crore, have been awarded but their appointed dates could not be declared. This is due to pending pre-requisite conditions such as the availability of encumbrance-free land and approvals from forest and wildlife authorities

As many as 574 under-construction National Highway (NH) projects, involving an estimated investment of Rs 3.60 lakh crore, are running behind their scheduled completion timelines, the government informed Parliament on Wednesday.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said the delayed projects were awarded over the last five years. Of these, 300 projects have seen delays of less than one year, 253 projects are delayed by one to three years, while 21 projects have been delayed by more than three years.

The minister also stated that 133 NH projects, with a total cost of about Rs 1 lakh crore, have been awarded but their appointed dates could not be declared. This is due to pending pre-requisite conditions such as the availability of encumbrance-free land and approvals from forest and wildlife authorities.

Gadkari said the ministry has initiated several measures to streamline the land acquisition process and resolve project bottlenecks. These efforts include closer coordination with state governments and other stakeholders to address hurdles affecting ongoing highway works.

Providing an update on construction progress, the minister said 3,468 km of National Highways were built during the current financial year up to October 2025. The ministry has set a construction target of 10,000 km for 2025–26, subject to the completion of pre-construction activities. This compares with a target of 10,420 km in 2024–25, against which 10,660 km was achieved.

On road safety, Gadkari noted a decline in fatalities per 10,000 vehicles from 5.8 in 2018 to 4.3 in 2022. He also informed that between January 2021 and December 10, 2025, 45 bus fire incidents resulted in 64 deaths.