Golden Quadrilateral
Encyclopedia
The Golden Quadrilateral is a highway network connecting India's four largest metropolises: Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

, Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

 and Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...

, thus forming a quadrilateral
Quadrilateral
In Euclidean plane geometry, a quadrilateral is a polygon with four sides and four vertices or corners. Sometimes, the term quadrangle is used, by analogy with triangle, and sometimes tetragon for consistency with pentagon , hexagon and so on...

 of sorts. Four other top ten metropolises: Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...

, Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...

, Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...

, and Surat
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...

, are also served by the network. The largest highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...

 project in India, initiated by Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bihari Vajpayee is an Indian statesman who served as the tenth Prime Minister of India three times – first for a brief term of 13 days in 1996, and then for two terms from 1998 to 2004. After his first brief period as Prime Minister in 1996, Vajpayee headed a coalition government from...

, it is the first phase of the National Highways Development Project
National Highways Development Project
The National Highways Development Project is a project to upgrade, rehabilitate and widen major highways in India to a higher standard. The project was implemented in 1998. "National Highways" account for only about 2% of the total length of roads, but carry about 40% of the total traffic across...

 (NHDP), and consists of building 5846 km (3,632.5 mi) of four/six lane express highways at a cost of .

The vast majority of the Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) is not access controlled
Limited-access road
A limited-access road known by various terms worldwide, including limited-access highway, dual-carriageway and expressway, is a highway or arterial road for high-speed traffic which has many or most characteristics of a controlled-access highway , including limited or no access to adjacent...

, although safety features such as guardrails, shoulders, and high-visibility signs are used. As of 31 October 2010, 5806 km (3,607.7 mi) of the entire work has been completed and work on remaining 40 km is under progress. In September 2009, it was announced that the existing four-laned highways would be converted into six-lane highways. The project was reported at various stages to be behind schedule, mainly due to land acquisition constraints and disputes with contractors which had to be re-negotiated.

The GQ project is managed by the National Highways Authority of India
National Highways Authority of India
The National Highways Authority of India is an autonomous agency of the Government of India, responsible for management of a network of over 60,000 km of National Highways in India...

 (NHAI) under the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways. The Mumbai-Pune Expressway
Mumbai-Pune Expressway
The Mumbai Pune Expressway , officially the Yashwantrao Chavan Expressway is India's first six-lane concrete, high-speed, access controlled tolled expressway. It spans a distance of connecting Mumbai, the administrative capital of Maharashtra and the financial capital of India, with Pune, an...

, the first controlled-access toll road
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...

 to be built in India is a part of the GQ Project though not funded by NHAI, and separate from the main highway
National Highway 4 (India)
National Highway 4 is a major National Highway in Western and Southern India. NH 4 links four of the 10 most populous Indian cities - Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Chennai. NH 4 is in length and passes through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.NH 4 constitutes...

. Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services
Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services
Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Limited is an Indian infrastructure development and finance company.- History :IL&FS was originally promoted by the Central Bank of India, Housing Development Finance Corporation and Unit Trust of India...

 (IL&FS) has been one of the major contributors to the infrastructural development activity in the GQ project.

Economic benefits

The GQ project establishes better and faster transport networks between many major cities and ports. It provides an impetus to smoother movement of products and people within India. It enables industrial and job development in smaller town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...

s through access to markets. It provides opportunities for farmers through better transportation of produce from the agricultural hinterland to major cities and ports for export
Export
The term export is derived from the conceptual meaning as to ship the goods and services out of the port of a country. The seller of such goods and services is referred to as an "exporter" who is based in the country of export whereas the overseas based buyer is referred to as an "importer"...

, through lesser wastage and spoils. Finally, it drives economic growth directly through construction as well as through indirect demand for cement, steel and other construction materials.It gives an impetus to Truck transport throughout India.

Route

Only National Highways are used in the Golden Quadrilateral. The four legs use the following National Highways:
  • Delhi – Kolkata: NH 2
    National Highway 2 (India)
    National Highway 2 , commonly referred as Delhi-Kolkata Road is a busy Indian National Highway that runs through the states of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. It constitute a major portion of historical Grand Trunk Road along with NH 91 and NH 1 in India...

  • Delhi – Mumbai: NH 8 (Delhi – Kishangarh
    Kishangarh
    Kishangarh is a city and a municipality in Ajmer district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It lies 18 miles north-west of Ajmer. It is well connected via Indian Railways and National Highway #8. It is the birth place of the Kishangarh style of painting, which is known for the beautiful depiction...

    ), NH 79A
    National Highway 79A (India)
    National Highway 79A is a short Indian National Highway entirely within the state of Rajasthan. NH 79A links Kishangarh on NH 8 with Nasirabad on NH 79 and is long...

     (Ajmer
    Ajmer
    Ajmer , formerly written as Ajmere, is a city in Ajmer District in Rajasthan state in India. Ajmer has a population of around 800,000 , and is located west of the Rajasthan state capital Jaipur, 200 km from Jodhpur, 274 km from Udaipur, 439 km from Jaisalmer, and 391 km from...

     bypass), NH 79
    National Highway 79 (India)
    National Highway 79 is a National Highway that links Ajmer in Rajasthan and Dhar in Madhya Pradesh. The highway is long, of which is in Rajasthan and is in Madhya Pradesh.-Route:* Nasirabad* Neemuch* Mandsaur...

     (Nasirabad
    Nasirabad
    Nasirabad may refer to:* Mymensingh Town, the former name of Mymensingh Town, Bangladesh* Nasirabad, India in Rajasthan, India* Nasirabad, Raibareli in Uttar Pradesh, India* Nasirabad, Ardabil, Iran* Nasirabad, alternate name of Nasrabad, Isfahan, Iran...

     – Chittaurgarh), NH 76
    National Highway 76 (India)
    National Highway 76 or NH 76 is a National Highway in India that links Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh with Pindwara in Rajasthan. This long highway passes through Udaipur, Kota, Shivpuri, Jhansi and Banda....

     (Chittaurgarh – Udaipur
    Udaipur
    Udaipur , also known as the City of Lakes, is a city, a Municipal Council and the administrative headquarters of the Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It is located southwest of the state capital, Jaipur, west of Kota, and northeast from Ahmedabad...

    ), NH 8 (Udaipur – Mumbai)
  • Mumbai – Chennai: NH 4
    National Highway 4 (India)
    National Highway 4 is a major National Highway in Western and Southern India. NH 4 links four of the 10 most populous Indian cities - Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Chennai. NH 4 is in length and passes through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.NH 4 constitutes...

     (Mumbai – Bangalore
    Bangalore
    Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...

    ), NH 7
    National Highway 7 (India)
    National Highway 7, commonly referred to as NH 7, is major North-South National Highway in India that runs through the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu....

     (Bangalore – Krishnagiri
    Krishnagiri
    -Tourism:Thousands of visitors visit Krishnagiri each year. Majority come from Hosur/Bangalore and Chennai. KRP dam constructed in 1960's during the rule of the then Chief Minister Kamaraj located near the town, is a nice picnic spot. Nearby, Sayed Basha hills has a fort that was the fortress of...

    ), NH 46
    National Highway 46 (India)
    National Highway 46 is located in India. It runs from Krishnagiri to Ranipet in Tamil Nadu. It passes through Vellore and it is an important connecting road for vehicles travelling between Chennai and Bangalore...

     (Krishnagiri – Ranipet
    Ranipet
    Ranipet, Vellore is a locality and part of Vellore city in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India. It is a medium-sized community located about 26 kilometers from the Vellore city center and 100 kilometers from Chennai, the fourth largest urban area in India...

    ), NH 4
    National Highway 4 (India)
    National Highway 4 is a major National Highway in Western and Southern India. NH 4 links four of the 10 most populous Indian cities - Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Chennai. NH 4 is in length and passes through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.NH 4 constitutes...

     (Ranipet – Chennai)
  • Kolkata – Chennai: NH 6 (Kolkata – Kharagpur
    Kharagpur
    Kharagpur is an industrial city in India. It is located in the Midnapore West district of the state of West Bengal.Kharagpur was chosen as the location of the first campus of the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology . The IITs are the premier technical education institutes in India and...

    ), NH 60
    National Highway 60 (India)
    National Highway 60 or NH 60 is a National Highway of India that runs from the junction with NH 5 at Balasore to NH 2. It passes through Jaleswar, Dantan, Belda, Kharagpur, Salboni, Bishnupur, Bankura, Gangajalghati, Mejia and Raniganj....

     (Kharagpur – Balasore
    Balasore
    Balasore is a strategically located city in the state of Orissa, about north of the state capital Bhubaneswar, in eastern India. It is the administrative headquarters of Balasore district. It is best known for Chandipur beach. It is also the site of the Indian Ballistic Missile Defense...

    ), NH 5
    National Highway 5 (India)
    National Highway 5 is a major National Highway in India that runs along India's east coast through the states of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The northern terminal is at Jharpokharia in Orissa and the southern terminal is at Chennai in Tamil Nadu...

     (Balasore – Chennai)

Important cities connected by Golden Quadrilateral highway

Delhi – Kolkata Delhi – Mumbai Chennai – Mumbai Kolkata – Chennai
  • Delhi
    Delhi
    Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

  • Faridabad
    Faridabad
    Faridabad is a city in the south-east of Haryana state in northern India, in Faridabad district. It lies at 28º 25' 16" N Latitude and 77º 18' 28" E Longitude. The district shares its boundaries with the National Capital and Union Territory of Delhi to its north, Gurgaon district to the west and...

  • Mathura
  • Agra
    Agra
    Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...

  • Firozabad
    Firozabad
    Firozabad is a city in India, in the state of Uttar Pradesh.The ancient name of this town was Chandwar nagar; it is said that once in reign of Akbar the great, revenue was being brought through the city. it was looted by the people who lived here...

  • Etawah
    Etawah
    Etawah is a city on the Yamuna River in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Etawah District. The city was an important center for the Revolt of 1857 . Also is the place of sangam or confluence between Yamuna and Chambal...

  • Kanpur
  • Allahabad
    Allahabad
    Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...

  • Varanasi
    Varanasi
    -Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...

  • Mohania
    Mohania
    Mohania is a city in Kaimur district in the state of Bihar, India. It is the sub-division of Kaimur district.-Geography:Mohania is located at . It has an average elevation of 76 metres ....

  • Dehri
    Dehri
    Dehri On Sone is a city and a municipality in Rohtas district in the state of Bihar, India. It is a Sub Division under Patna Division and Headquarter of The Bihar Military Police as well as The Police headquarters of the Sahabad Range...

  • Dhanbad
    Dhanbad
    Dhanbad features climate that is transitional between a humid subtropical climate and a tropical wet and dry climate. Summer starts from last week of March and ends in mid-June. Peak temperature in summer can reach 47oC. Dhanbad also receives heavy rainfall...

  • Asansol
    Asansol
    Asansol is a coal mining and industrial metropolis and one of the busiest commercial centres in India. It is the second largest city and urban agglomeration in West Bengal after Kolkata and the 19th largest urban agglomeration in India. Asansol is located in the western part of the Burdwan...

  • Durgapur
  • Bardhaman
    Bardhaman
    'Bardhaman or Burdwan , is a city of West Bengal state in eastern India. It is the headquarters of Bardhaman District....

  • Kolkata
    Kolkata
    Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...

  • Delhi
    Delhi
    Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

  • Gurgaon
    Gurgaon
    Gurgaon is the second largest city in the Indian state of Haryana. Gurgaon is the industrial and financial center of Haryana. It is located 30 km south of national capital New Delhi, about 10 kilometers from Dwarka Sub City and 268 km south of Chandigarh, the state capital...

  • Jaipur
    Jaipur
    Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....

  • Ajmer
    Ajmer
    Ajmer , formerly written as Ajmere, is a city in Ajmer District in Rajasthan state in India. Ajmer has a population of around 800,000 , and is located west of the Rajasthan state capital Jaipur, 200 km from Jodhpur, 274 km from Udaipur, 439 km from Jaisalmer, and 391 km from...

  • Chittaurgarh
  • Udaipur
    Udaipur
    Udaipur , also known as the City of Lakes, is a city, a Municipal Council and the administrative headquarters of the Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It is located southwest of the state capital, Jaipur, west of Kota, and northeast from Ahmedabad...

  • Gandhinagar
  • Ahmedabad
    Ahmedabad
    Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...

  • Vadodara
    Vadodara
    Vadodara formerly known as Baroda is the third most populated city in the Indian State of Gujarat . It is one of the four cities with the population of over 1 million...

  • Surat
    Surat
    Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...

  • Navsari
    Navsari
    Navsari is a city and municipality in the Surat Metropolitan Region and also the administrative headquarters Navsari District of Gujarat, India. Navsari is also the Twin City of Surat, and only 37 km south of Surat.-Geography:...

  • Valsad
    Valsad
    Valsad , formerly known as Bulsar, is a city and a municipality in the Valsad district of the Indian state of Gujarat. The city has a collectorate, a district court, and a police headquarters with a historic prison...

  • Vapi
    Vapi
    Vapi Vapi Vapi (IAST: vāpī, Gujarati: , is a city and a municipality in Valsad district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is situated on the banks of Damanganga River in southern Gujarat, India. Vapi falls under the taluka administration of Pardi...

  • Silvassa
    Silvassa
    Silvassa is the capital of the Indian Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli.The city has a large number of factories and industries providing significant government revenue, which allows the city to maintain a low level of taxation.-Geography:Silvassa is located at...

  • Mumbai
    Mumbai
    Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

  • Chennai
    Chennai
    Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

  • Kanchipuram
    Kanchipuram
    Kanchipuram, or Kanchi, is a temple city and a municipality in Kanchipuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a temple town and the headquarters of Kanchipuram district...

  • Ranipet
    Ranipet
    Ranipet, Vellore is a locality and part of Vellore city in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India. It is a medium-sized community located about 26 kilometers from the Vellore city center and 100 kilometers from Chennai, the fourth largest urban area in India...

  • Vellore
    Vellore
    Vellore It is considered one of the oldest cities in South India and lies on the banks of the Palar river on the site of Vellore Fort. The city lies between Chennai and Bangalore and the Temple towns of Thiruvannamalai and Tirupati...

  • Vaniyambadi
    Vaniyambadi
    Vaniyambadi is a town and a municipality, part of the Vellore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The major population comprises people following Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Jainism population...

  • Krishnagiri
    Krishnagiri
    -Tourism:Thousands of visitors visit Krishnagiri each year. Majority come from Hosur/Bangalore and Chennai. KRP dam constructed in 1960's during the rule of the then Chief Minister Kamaraj located near the town, is a nice picnic spot. Nearby, Sayed Basha hills has a fort that was the fortress of...

  • Hosur
    Hosur
    Hosur is a town and a municipality in Krishnagiri district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.The name of the town is from Kannada language which means 'New settlement/town' . It is a taluk of Krishnagiri district. It is located about 40 kilometres south-east of Bangalore and 38 kilometres from...

  • Bangalore
    Bangalore
    Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...

  • Tumkur
    Tumkur
    Tumkur is one of the busiest industrial towns located in the state of Karnataka. Since 28 August 2010, Tumkur has been accorded the status of a Corporation city. It is situated at a distance of 70 kilometers north west of the city of Bangalore along National Highway 4...

  • Chitradurga
    Chitradurga
    Chitradurga is a town in the southern part of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is also the headquarters of Chitradurga district. Chitradurga was also known by the names Chitradurg, Chitrakaladurga, Chittaldurg. Chittaldrug was the name officially used by the British Govt.-Geography:Chitradurga is...

  • Davangere
  • Ranebennur
  • Hubli-Dharwad
  • Belgaum
    Belgaum
    Belgaum is a city and a municipal corporation in Belgaum district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the fourth largest city of the state of Karnataka, the first three being Bangalore, Mysore, Hubli-Dharwad....

  • Kolhapur
  • Sangli-Miraj
  • Karad
    Karad
    Karad is a town and a municipal council in Satara district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It lies at the confluence of Koyna River and the Krishna River. The two rivers originate at Mahabaleshwar which is around 100 km from Karad. They diverge at their origin and then meet again in...

  • Satara
    Satara
    Satara is a city located in the Satara District of Maharashtra state of India. The town is 2320 ft. above sea-level, near the confluence of the Krishna and its tributary river Venna. The city was the capital of the Maratha empire in the 17th century, hence one of the the historical cities of...

  • Pune
    Pune
    Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...

  • Panvel
    Panvel
    Panvel is city and a municipal council in Raigad district in the state of Maharashtra. Panvel is also known as the gateway of Konkan region. It adjoins Navi Mumbai, and is just after the Thane district border. Panvel is located on the Yashwantrao Chavan Expressway about 21 kilometres from...

  • Mumbai
    Mumbai
    Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

  • Kolkata
    Kolkata
    Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...

  • Kharagpur
    Kharagpur
    Kharagpur is an industrial city in India. It is located in the Midnapore West district of the state of West Bengal.Kharagpur was chosen as the location of the first campus of the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology . The IITs are the premier technical education institutes in India and...

  • Baleshwar
  • Cuttack
    Cuttack
    Cuttack is the former capital of the state of Orissa, India. It is the headquarters of Cuttack district and is located about 20 km to the north east of Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa. The name of the city is an anglicised form of Kataka that literally means The Fort, a reference to the...

  • Bhubaneshwar
  • Berhampur
    Berhampur
    Brahmapur , nicknamed "The Silk City", is a city located in the eastern coastline of Ganjam district of the Indian state of Orissa, about south to state capital, Bhubaneswar.It is also dubbed as "The Dance City" of Orissa after Prince Dance Group and Harihar Das made the state famous in India's...

  • Srikakulam
    Srikakulam
    Srikakulam is a town, municipality and headquarters of Srikakulam district in the north-eastern Andhra Pradesh, India. It is part of Srikakulam Assembly constituency and Srikakulam Parliament Constituency. Srikakulam was formerly called as Gulshanabad during Muslim rule and was headquarter of...

  • Vizianagaram
    Vizianagaram
    Vizianagaram is the main city of the Vizianagaram District of north-eastern Andhra Pradesh in southern India. Vizianagaram district was formed on 1 June 1979, with some parts carved from the neighbouring districts of Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam. It is, at present, the largest municipality of...

  • Visakhapatnam
    Visakhapatnam
    Visakhapatnam is a major sea port on the south east coast of India. With a population of approximately 1.7 million, it is the second largest city in the state of Andhra Pradesh and the third largest city on the east coast of India after Kolkata and Chennai. According to the history, the city was...

  • Kakinada
    Kakinada
    Kakinada is a city and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located east of the state capital, Hyderabad. It is also the headquarters of East Godavari district. It is nicknamed "Fertilizer City" , "Pensioner's Paradise" and "Second Madras"...

  • Rajahmundry
    Rajahmundry
    Rajahmundry is a city and municipal corporation of the Andhra Pradesh state in India. It is located east of the state capital, Hyderabad, on the banks of the River Godavari. Known as the Cultural Capital, Rajahmundry is noted for its intense Veda culture and intellect...

  • Eluru
    Eluru
    Eluru is a city and a municipal corporation in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is the headquarters of West Godavari district and has a population of 5,15,343 approximately. Eluru is situated on the national highway NH 5 connecting Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam and about east of state...

  • Vijayawada
    Vijayawada
    Vijayawada is the third largest city in Andhra Pradesh, India, located on the banks of the Krishna River and bounded by the Indrakiladri Hills on the West and the Budameru River on the North. The city is located in the Krishna District, about from the state capital Hyderabad.Vijayawada literally...

  • Guntur
    Guntur
    Guntur , is a city and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, located to the north and west of the Bay of Bengal. It is approximately to the south of the national capital, New Delhi and south east of state capital, Hyderabad. Guntur is the fourth largest city in Andhra...

  • Ongole
  • Nellore
    Nellore
    Nellore , is a city and headquarters of Potti Sri Ramulu Nellore District, formerly Nellore district.And in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Ancient name of Nellore was "Vikrama Simhapuri"....

  • Gummidipoondi
    Gummidipoondi
    Gummidipoondi is an industrial town in Thiruvallur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.Gummdipoondi lies on the National Highway 5 from Chennai to Calcutta. This road is part of the Golden Quadrilateral which is a project launched by the Vajpayee Government...

  • Chennai
    Chennai
    Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...


  • Current status

    No. Segment Length Completed (km) Total Length (km) Percent Completed (%) As of (date) Source
    1. Delhi-Kolkata 1453 km (902.9 mi) 1453 km (902.9 mi) 100 August 31, 2011 http://www.nhai.org/NH2_Delhi_Kolkata_english.htm
    2. Chennai-Mumbai 1290 km (801.6 mi) 1290 km (801.6 mi) 100 August 31, 2011 http://www.nhai.org/NH4_Mumbai_Chennai_english.htm
    3. Kolkata-Chennai 1667 km (1,035.8 mi) 1684 km (1,046.4 mi) 98.99 September 30, 2011 http://www.nhai.org/NH5_Kolkata_chennai_english.htm
    4. Mumbai-Delhi 1419 km (881.7 mi) 1419 km (881.7 mi) 100 August 31, 2011 http://www.nhai.org/NH8_Delhi_Mumbai_english.htm
    Total 5829 km (3,622 mi) 5846 km (3,632.5 mi) 99.70 September 30, 2011 http://www.nhai.org/goldenquadrilateral.asp


    NHAI - Current status

    The length of Golden Quadrilateral in each State

    The completed Golden Quadrilateral will pass through 13 States of India:
    • Andhra Pradesh
      Andhra Pradesh
      Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

       – 1014 km (630.1 mi)
    • Uttar Pradesh
      Uttar Pradesh
      Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...

       – 756 km (469.8 mi)
    • Rajasthan
      Rajasthan
      Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...

       – 725 km (450.5 mi)
    • Karnataka
      Karnataka
      Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...

       – 623 km (387.1 mi)
    • Maharashtra
      Maharashtra
      Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

       – 487 km (302.6 mi)
    • Gujarat – 485 km (301.4 mi)
    • Orissa
      Orissa
      Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...

       – 440 km (273.4 mi)
    • West Bengal
      West Bengal
      West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...

       – 406 km (252.3 mi)
    • Tamil Nadu
      Tamil Nadu
      Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

       – 342 km (212.5 mi)
    • Bihar
      Bihar
      Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....

       – 204 km (126.8 mi)
    • Jharkhand
      Jharkhand
      Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...

       – 192 km (119.3 mi)
    • Haryana
      Haryana
      Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...

       – 152 km (94.4 mi)
    • Delhi
      Delhi
      Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

       – 25 km (15.5 mi)
    • Total – 5846 km (3,632.5 mi)

    Future plans

    Sections of NH 2
    National Highway 2 (India)
    National Highway 2 , commonly referred as Delhi-Kolkata Road is a busy Indian National Highway that runs through the states of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. It constitute a major portion of historical Grand Trunk Road along with NH 91 and NH 1 in India...

    , NH 5
    National Highway 5 (India)
    National Highway 5 is a major National Highway in India that runs along India's east coast through the states of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The northern terminal is at Jharpokharia in Orissa and the southern terminal is at Chennai in Tamil Nadu...

     and NH 8 have now been prioritized for further widening to six lanes under DBFO (Design, Build, Finance, Operate) pattern and more sections would be six-laned in the near future. On NH 8 Six lanes work is completed from Vadodara
    Vadodara
    Vadodara formerly known as Baroda is the third most populated city in the Indian State of Gujarat . It is one of the four cities with the population of over 1 million...

     to Surat
    Surat
    Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...

     and now the highway is 6-track

    Corruption allegations

    In August 2003, Jharkhand
    Jharkhand
    Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...

    -based project director Satyendra Dubey
    Satyendra Dubey
    Satyendra Kumar Dubey was a project director at the National Highways Authority of India . He was murdered in Gaya, Bihar after fighting corruption in the Golden Quadrilateral highway construction project.-Early life:...

    , in a letter to the Prime Minister, outlined a list of malafide actions in a segment of this highway in Bihar
    Bihar
    Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....

    . Dubey's claims included that big contractors had inside information from NHAI officials, that the contractors for this stretch were not executing the project themselves (as stipulated in the contract) but subcontracting the work small builders who lacked technical expertise and that no follow-up was performed after awarding advances. Dubey's name was leaked by the PMO to the NHAI, and he was transferred against his wishes to Gaya
    Gaya, India
    Gaya is the second largest city of Bihar, India, and it is also the headquarters of Gaya District.Gaya is 100 kilometers south of Patna, the capital city of Bihar. Situated on the banks of Falgu River , it is a place sanctified by both the Hindu and the Buddhist religions...

    , Bihar
    Bihar
    Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....

    , where he was murdered on November 27.

    The NHAI eventually admitted that Dubey's charges were substantiated, and implemented "radical reforms" in selection and contract procedures. After a lengthy CBI
    Central Bureau of Investigation
    The Central Bureau of Investigation is a government agency of India that serves as a criminal investigation body, national security agency and intelligence agency. It was established on 1 April 1963 and evolved from the Special Police Establishment founded in 1941...

     investigation, Mantu Kumar and three accomplices were arrested and charged with murder. Mantu escaped from court on September 19, 2005, but was recaptured a month later. In 2010, Mantu and two others were convicted murder and other offenses and sentenced to life in prison.

    Accidents

    In February 2006, a 600 meter stretch of the highway connecting Kolkata
    Kolkata
    Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...

     to Chennai
    Chennai
    Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

     subsided into the ground, opening up ten meter gorges near Bally, West Bengal
    West Bengal
    West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...

    . This stretch had been completed a year back by a Malaysian multinational firm, selected after global tendering.

    See also

    • List of National Highways in India by highway number
    • List of National Highways in India
    • National Highways Development Project
      National Highways Development Project
      The National Highways Development Project is a project to upgrade, rehabilitate and widen major highways in India to a higher standard. The project was implemented in 1998. "National Highways" account for only about 2% of the total length of roads, but carry about 40% of the total traffic across...

    • North-South and East-West Corridor
      North-South and East-West Corridor
      The North-South–East-West Corridor is the largest ongoing highway project in India. It is the second phase of the National Highways Development Project , and consists of building 7300 kilometers of four/six lane expressways connecting Srinagar, Kanyakumari, Porbandar and Silchar, at a cost of...

    • Transport in India
      Transport in India
      Transport in the Republic of India is an important part of the nation's economy. Since the economic liberalisation of the 1990s, development of infrastructure within the country has progressed at a rapid pace, and today there is a wide variety of modes of transport by land, water and air...

    • Golden Quadrilateral (Indian Railways)

    Further reading

    • Fast Lane to the Future, Don Belt. National Geographic
      National Geographic Magazine
      National Geographic, formerly the National Geographic Magazine, is the official journal of the National Geographic Society. It published its first issue in 1888, just nine months after the Society itself was founded...

      , October, 2008.

    External links


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