New Delhi, Sep 4 : In a move to bolster the highway network across the country, the government is planning to build 74 new tunnels at a projected expense of Rs 1 lakh crore over the next few years.

The government has already completed 35 tunnels spanning 49 kms at a cost of Rs 15,000 crore, and now plans to build new tunnels stretching 273 kms.

In the meantime, the country has significantly strengthened its tunnelling infrastructure, with 69 tunnels covering a total of 134 kms currently under construction with an investment of Rs 40,000 crore, according to Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari.

Addressing the FICCI's Tunnelling India conference in the national capital, the minister said the government is working to make India a $5 trillion economy.

The minister said that safety of citizens on the roads is paramount, highlighting the need for cost-effective permanent solutions on the roads against rainfall, landslides and floods.

Minister Gadkari also spoke about allowing 51 per cent stake to foreign partners in joint ventures for building tunnels and detailed project reports to improve work quality.

'We need to find out exactly which is the best technology that is cost-effective without compromising on quality", said the minister.

Minister Gadkari underscored the critical role of performance audits in ensuring project efficiency, saying that "performance audit is more important than financial audit'.

At the event, Bhavani Koneru from FICCI's Committee on Transport Infrastructure highlighted the need for the country to develop homegrown tunnelling technologies customised to distinct geological conditions and cost considerations.

In March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the strategically-crucial Sela Tunnel, constructed at a cost of Rs 825 crore, in Arunachal Pradesh. It is the world's longest bi-lane tunnel at 13,000 feet.

In July, PM Modi launched the construction of twin-tube 4.1-km-long Shinkun la Tunnel on the Nimu-Padum-Darcha road to provide round-the-clock connectivity to the northern borders with China.

The Atal tunnel was inaugurated by PM Modi on October 3, 2020. The Atal tunnel was completed after 10 years of sheer hard work by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) with an outlay of over Rs 3,200 crore.

/IANS