SRINAGAR: In a major infrastructure push for North India, the Centre has notified the ambitious NE-5 Expressway, a high-speed Delhi-Katra corridor that will connect the National Capital Region with Jammu and Kashmir through Haryana and Punjab.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways issued the notification through an amendment under the National Highways Act, 1956, formally bringing the proposed corridor into the National Highways network. The move marks a significant step forward for the Delhi-Katra Expressway and paves the way for land acquisition, detailed alignment planning and future infrastructure development.
According to the notification, the expressway will originate near Rani Khera village in Delhi at its junction with NH-344M and connect with the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal Expressway near Jasaur Kheri village before traversing key regions of Haryana and Punjab and terminating near Katra in Jammu and Kashmir.
In Haryana, the proposed corridor will pass through Kharkhoda, Gohana, Butana, Kalayat and Barta. In Punjab, it will move through Gulzapur, Patran, Bhawanigarh, Dhuri, Malerkotla, Ahmedgarh, Mullanpur Dakha, Nurmahal, Kangsabu, Kartarpur, Gurdaspur bypass and Balsua before linking with NH-144 near Katra.
Officials said the expressway is expected to significantly improve high-speed connectivity between Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, reducing travel time and strengthening logistics movement across the northern region.
The project is also expected to support trade and economic integration by improving access to industrial and agricultural belts in Haryana and Punjab. Infrastructure experts believe the corridor could emerge as an important strategic freight route while also boosting religious tourism, particularly for pilgrims travelling to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra.
The notification comes amid the Centre’s broader push to expand India’s expressway network and enhance connectivity across key economic and strategic corridors.
Apart from improving transportation, the project is expected to generate employment during the construction phase and encourage the development of roadside infrastructure, logistics parks, hotels, industrial hubs and commercial activity along the route. Improved connectivity is also likely to boost tourism and attract investment to smaller towns situated along the proposed corridor.
