The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, designed to reduce travel time and enhance interstate trade, is now facing critical issues due to construction delays. Parts of the expressway that are already operational have become significant conduits for liquor smuggling into Gujarat. Police data indicates that smugglers are increasingly leveraging this route because of its speed and the lack of interstate check posts.
According to law enforcement sources, bootleggers view the expressway as a quick and uncomplicated route for transporting illicit liquor into Gujarat. The unnamed section running from Delhi to parts of Madhya Pradesh allows vehicles to traverse long distances rapidly. Reports suggest that smugglers enter Gujarat through Dahod, navigating through Madhya Pradesh to avoid traditional check post routes.
Between September and November, Dahod police confiscated 16 vehicles utilizing the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway for liquor transportation. These seizures amounted to over 7,000 cartons of Indian-made foreign liquor, valued at nearly ₹10 crore. Additionally, law enforcement recently intercepted drugs worth ₹14 lakh along the expressway.
Delays in constructing the expressway’s Gujarat section are further complicating matters. In 2021, three major contracts were awarded to Roadway Solutions India Infra Ltd, yet less than 20% of the work has been completed over almost four years. In response to ongoing delays, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) canceled two contracts in 2023, but the projects were eventually re-awarded to the same firm after a rebidding process.
Original Source: https://www.india.com/news/india/bad-news-for-commuters-as-delhi-mumbai-expressway-faces-repeated-construction-delays-its-now-being-misused-for-liquor-smuggling-8235398/
Category: India,construction delay,DELHI-Mumbai Expressway,illegal smuggling,Liquor smuggling,smuggling route
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Publish Date: 2025-12-18 19:09:00
