Traffic in Delhi, India, will soon be free-flowing with the construction of two highway projects, which would be taken up by Essel Infraprojects, a unit of Essel Group, under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) model.

The two roads, namely Mukarba Chowk Panipat Toll Road (National Highway No 1) and Kundli Manesar Expressway, will connect Delhi with six neighbouring states.

The Mukarba Chowk Panipat Toll Road is a Rs21.28bn project, whereas the Kundli Manesar Expressway is estimated to be Rs18.63bn.

"Both the projects will help in cutting unnecessary travel time, decongest traffic and strengthen the path of development."

Essel Infraprojects CEO Ashok Agarwal was quoted by The Economic Times as saying: "Both the projects will help in cutting unnecessary travel time, decongest traffic and strengthen the path of development. The Supreme Court has suggested developing the Western Peripheral Expressway, that is, the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal Section.

"The stretch we are developing is part of the same."

The Mukarba Chowk Panipat Toll Road project will widen the road linking Delhi to Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh and Western Uttar Pradesh.

This 69.90km stretch will have eight lanes with two-lane service roads on each side.

This road will also bring down the 120min of travel time to 90min during peak traffic hours.

Essel bid for this project in March and was granted the Letter of Award on 24 July.

The six-lane, access-controlled Kundli Manesar Expressway will benefit the long-distance vehicles travelling from the west to the north. Commuters coming from the west side currently have to travel through Delhi, causing road congestion and pollution. This bypass is expected to address this problem.

Essel bid for this project in May and received Letter of Award on 31 July.

Prime minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the two highway priojects at Rajiv Gandhi Education City in Rai of Sonipat, Haryana.

Estimated to be completed in two and a half years, both the roads will provide additional facilities to pedestrians such as footpaths, guard rails, lighting and other wayside amenities such as ambulance services.