India sets 4 Guinness records in national highway construction, says Union minister Nitin Gadkari

VIJAYAWADA: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday said that innovation, uncompromising quality and collective effort, combined with divine blessings, were the driving forces behind India creating multiple world records in national highway construction. Addressing a special programme virtually from Puttaparthi, Gadkari lauded the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for achieving four Guinness World Records during the construction of the Bengaluru–Kadapa–Vijayawada Economic Corridor (NH-544G) in Sri Sathya Sai district.“With the blessings of Bhagawan Sathya Sai, we have been able to achieve these world records. Our endeavour is to build national highways at high speed without compromising on quality,” Gadkari said, congratulating engineers, workers and officials associated with the project.The Union minister said the records reflect India’s growing emphasis on innovation and modern construction practices. Highlighting new technologies, he referred to the development of bitumen from rice straw (parali) and urged Andhra Pradesh to actively partner in adopting such sustainable solutions. He stressed that skill development, inventive thinking and intellectual inputs were essential to reduce costs, improve quality and adopt pollution-free methods in infrastructure creation.

Gadkari praised the Andhra Pradesh govt for its cooperation and swift execution of works, stating that the leadership of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu played a key role in achieving the milestones. He described Naidu as a visionary leader committed to public welfare and development, and thanked him for extending full support to the project. The minister also reiterated the Centre’s readiness to consider and approve proposals put forward by the chief minister.Regretting his inability to attend the event in person, Gadkari underlined that India is among the fastest-growing economies in the world and said reducing transportation and logistics costs to below 9 per cent was crucial for sustaining growth and improving outcomes.The Bengaluru–Kadapa–Vijayawada Economic Corridor, once completed, is expected to significantly cut travel time and strengthen economic connectivity between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.The four Guinness World Records include two achieved on Jan 6, 2026 — laying 28.95 lane-km and 10,675 metric tonnes of bituminous concrete continuously within 24 hours — and two more set on Jan 11, when 156 lane-km and 57,500 metric tonnes of bituminous concrete were laid continuously on Packages 2 and 3 near Puttaparthi. Executed using advanced machinery and stringent quality controls, the achievements underscore India’s engineering capability in delivering sustainable, high-speed infrastructure.