Fact Check: Who Built More Highways? NDA or UPA?
There have been charges and counter-charges between the Congress-led UPA and the BJP-led NDA about the progress (or lack of it) of road projects during the last few years.
While BJP claims that road building has come to a virtual stand-still under the UPA, the Congress is countering that more projects are being executed under their regime.
Here is a quick fact check on only one aspect – national highways - of the 3.3 million kms road network in the country.
As the table below shows, the national highways network increased from 49,585 kms in 1999 to 65,569 kms in 2004 – an increase of 15,984 kms during the NDA regime which lasted five years.
And the NH network under the UPA increased from 65,569 kms to 79,243 kms as of today – an increase of 13,674 kms from 2004, which is nine years.
| Year | National Highways (in Kms) | Per day increase* (in Kms) |
| NDA | ||
| 1999 | 49,585 | |
| 2000 | 52,010 | 8.1 |
| 2001 | 57,737 | 19.1 |
| 2002 | 58,112 | 1.25 |
| 2003 | 58,112 | 0# |
| 2004 | 65,569 | 24.8 |
| UPA |
|
|
| 2005 | 65,569 | 0# |
| 2006 | 66,590 | 3.4 |
| 2007 | 66,590 | 0# |
| 2008 | 66,754 | 0.5 |
| 2009 | 70,548 | 12.6 |
| 2010 | 70,934 | 1.2 |
| 2011 | 70,934 | 0# |
| 2012-2013 | 79,243 | 27.6 |
* Per day increase is calculated using = (New year road built - Previous year Road Built / no.of working days in a Year)(Source: NHAI; Ministry of Road Transport & Highways)
# refers to the fact that the road built might not have been reported.
