Union Minister Gadkari Thanks CM Naidu For 4 Guinness Records On Bengaluru-Vijayawada Corridor

Amaravati: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday thanked Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for his cooperation in achieving four Guinness World Records during the construction of the Bengaluru-Kadapa-Vijayawada economic corridor in the state.

Addressing a Guinness World Records programme virtually, the senior BJP leader said the records were achieved with the blessings of Sathya Sai Baba during construction works in the Sri Sathya Sai district.

"I congratulate everyone, especially CM Naidu, on achieving four Guinness World Records in the construction of the Bengaluru-Vijayawada economic corridor," Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways said in a press release.

He also lauded the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the executing agencies for their respective roles in achieving the records.

Two Guinness World Records were achieved on January 6 near Puttaparthi for the longest continuous laying of nearly 29 lane-kilometres and over 10,600 tonnes of bituminous concrete within 24 hours.

Additionally, two Guinness World Records were achieved here on January 11 for the continuous laying of 57,500 tonnes of bituminous concrete and paving of 156 lane-kilometres, surpassing the previous world record of 84.4 lane-km.

The 343 km long, access-controlled six-lane Bengaluru-Kadapa-Vijayawada Economic Corridor has been designed for a safe, high-speed, and scenic travel experience, according to the release.

It features 17 interchanges, 10 wayside amenities, a 5.3 km long tunnel and around 21 km long section of the corridor passes through a forest area.

Gadkari stated that the Centre is continuously striving to undertake national highway construction at a rapid pace without compromising on quality, while adopting innovations.

Referring to an innovation in bitumen production using paddy straw, Gadkari expressed hope that Andhra Pradesh would partner in utilising the technology.

He stressed that skills, innovation and intellectual inputs must be further enhanced to improve cost efficiency and quality, while adopting pollution-free and environment-friendly construction methods.

Gadkari said these approaches had enabled the NHAI to achieve the Guinness World Records.

He said the leadership of Naidu had created an enabling environment for the rapid execution of national highway projects in Andhra.

Noting that the state government was providing full cooperation for the implementation of highway works, Gadkari assured that proposals made by the chief minister would always receive approval.

Gadkari said India was among the fastest-growing economies and stressed the need to significantly reduce transport and logistics costs to below nine per cent.

He said lowering logistics costs would spur economic growth and significantly reduce travel time on the Bengaluru-Vijayawada corridor.

Once completed, the corridor will reduce travel distance by 100 km from the current 635 km to 535 km and cut travel time by nearly four hours from the current 12 hours to around 8 hours, the release added.

The corridor will significantly enhance regional connectivity by linking Bengaluru with Vijayawada, strengthening access between the Rayalaseema region and the coastal and northern regions of Andhra Pradesh, as well as the Koparthy Industrial Node, it said.

NHAI, in association with a private firm, achieved this feat through the deployment of state-of-the-art construction equipment and machinery involving 70 tippers, five hot mix plants, one paver, and 17 rollers.

The process was monitored for quality control with the help of premier institutions, including IIT-Bombay, along with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), ensuring adherence to the highest standards of quality and safety, the release further said.

Anantapur: Rajpath Infra Private Limited, a Pune-based company, has achieved four Guinness World Records on a Greenfield highway project near Mudigubba in Satya Sai district.

The company surpassed its own previous Guinness World Record, as per an announcement here on Monday by Praveen Patel, adjudicator for Guinness Book of Records under four different categories.

He stated this in the presence of highways minister Nitin Gadkari and chief minister Chandrababu Naidu through virtual mode.

It was declared that Rajpath Infracon under the supervision of NHAI has achieved four different records for the longest continuous laying of bituminous concrete, covering 28.89 lane km in 24 hours, continuous laying of highest quantity of 10,655 metric tonnes bituminous concrete in 24 hours, continuous laying of 57,500 metric tonnes of bituminous concrete and continuous paving of 156 lane km.

The certificates of records were presented by adjudicator Pravin Patel to Jagadish Kadam, CMD, Rajpath Infracon.

Nitin Gadkari cited the speed in which road infrastructure is created in the country. He stated that the latest technologies were being used in road construction to speed up the work without compromising on quality.

He revealed that scientists from CSIR have created a technology that can create bituminous concrete by using rice plant and that the patent has been transferred to several companies. He urged the AP government to take advantage of the same as the state is a major producer of rice.

India, he said, has the potential and it would now need to move forward to make the impossible possible.

The chief minister appreciated the excellent work done by NHAI that helped the Rajpath Infracon achieve the Guinness records. “Earlier, Guinness Record meant feats of Germany, Japan, USA etc, but now India is showcasing its technical prowess to the world through these achievements” he observed.

Naidu promised full support from the state government in all nation-building efforts.

Taking part in the programme virtually from the state secretariat on Monday, Naidu appealed to the central government to name the road as Amaravati-Bengaluru express highway.

CMD Jagadish Kadam recalled various efforts undertaken by the company in achieving the feat and thanked all the engineers, workers, officials of NHAI, the state and central government for providing all the necessary support in completing the challenging task. He said Rajpath Constructions would continue to bring new impetus to highway construction.

R&B minister BC Janardhan Reddy, Hindupur MP BK Partha Sarathy and Puttaparthi MLA Palle Sindhura Reddy were present.

OnJanuary 6 , NHAI made two Guinness World Records near Puttaparthi. The first was the record for the longest continuous laying of bituminous concrete, covering 28.89 lane km or 3-lane wide 9.63 km long section within 24 hours.

The second record was created for continuous laying of the highest quantity of 10,655 metric tonnes of bituminous concrete in 24 hours. Both records were established for the first time globally under the six-lane NH project on the Bengaluru–Kadapa–Vijayawada economic corridor.

Building further on this momentum, two additional Guinness records were created on January 11, which include the continuous laying of 57,500 metric tonnes of bituminous concrete and a record for continuous paving of 156 lane km or 3-lane wide 52 km long section, surpassing the previous world record of 84.4 lane km or 2-lane wide 42.2 km long section.

These record-setting feats were executed across Package-2 and Package-3 of the Bengaluru–Kadapa–Vijayawada economic corridor.

Construction equipment and machinery involved 70 tippers, five hot mix plants, one paver and 17 rollers. Supported by stringent quality assurance mechanisms, the process was monitored for quality control with the help of premier institutions including IIT Bombay, along with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), ensuring adherence to the highest standards of quality and safety.

The 343 km long, access-controlled six-lane Bengaluru–Kadapa–Vijayawada economic corridor has been designed for safe, high-speed, and scenic travel experience. It features 17 interchanges, 10 wayside amenities, 5.3km long tunnel and around 2km long section of the corridor passing through the forest area.