20 January 2026·PIB

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari congratulates Team NHAI and the Concessionaire, Rajpath Infracon Pvt. Ltd., on NHAI officially setting 4 Guinness World Records

In this note

1. At a Glance

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officially set 4 Guinness World Records for continuous Bituminous Concrete (BC) paving on the 6-lane Bengaluru–Kadapa–Vijayawada Economic Corridor, executed by concessionaire M/s Rajpath Infracon Pvt. Ltd. [1][2]
Records were achieved across Package-2 and Package-3 of the corridor, near Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, between 6 and 11 January 2026. [2]
Demonstrates India's growing infrastructure execution capability, BOT/HAM concessionaire model, and use of advanced road-construction technology — testable for GS-III (Infrastructure).

On 20 January 2026, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari congratulated Team NHAI and Rajpath Infracon Pvt. Ltd. on NHAI officially setting 4 Guinness World Records for continuous bituminous paving. [1]
He stated the feat reflects India's engineering excellence, advanced technology and stringent quality standards under PM Modi's leadership. [1]

NHAI constituted under the National Highways Authority of India Act, 1988; operational from 1995 under the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH). [1]
Earlier NHAI Guinness records:
2021 — NHAI contractor: maximum road-paving concrete laid in 24 hours. [2]
June 2022 — 75 km single-lane bituminous concrete laid on NH-53 (Amravati–Akola) in 105 hours 33 minutes. [2]
2022 — Nagpur Double-Decker Viaduct (3.14 km) with highway flyover + metro rail on single column. [2]
Bengaluru–Kadapa–Vijayawada Economic Corridor is a Bharatmala Pariyojana corridor connecting Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. [1]

Implementing body: NHAI (statutory under NHAI Act, 1988). [1]
Parent Ministry: Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. [1]
Union Minister: Shri Nitin Gadkari. [1]
Concessionaire: M/s Rajpath Infracon Pvt. Ltd. [1]
Project: 6-lane Bengaluru–Kadapa–Vijayawada Economic Corridor, Packages 2 & 3. [1][2]
Location of paving: near Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh. [2]
The 4 Records (Jan 2026): 1. Longest continuous BC paving in 24 hrs — 28.89 lane-km (3-lane × 9.63 km). [2] 2. Highest BC quantity in 24 hrs — 10,655 metric tonnes. [2] 3. Continuous BC paving — 156 lane-km (3-lane × 52 km), surpassing previous record of 84.4 lane-km. [2] 4. Continuous laying of 57,500 MT of Bituminous Concrete. [2]
Equipment deployed: 70 tippers, 5 hot-mix plants, 1 paver, 17 rollers. [2]

Economic: Showcases PPP/Concessionaire (HAM/BOT) model efficiency under Bharatmala; faster completion shortens capital lock-in and lowers logistics cost (NHDP target ~9% GDP). [1]
Scientific/Technological: Use of hot-mix plants, automated pavers, dense graded BC — illustrates mechanised highway construction and quality control. [2]
Administrative: Concessionaire-executed; NHAI plays supervisory/authority role — example of outsourcing execution while retaining ownership. [1]
Strategic/Regional: Corridor links Bengaluru (Karnataka) with Vijayawada (AP) via Kadapa — enhances South-Indian east-west connectivity, port access (Krishnapatnam/Machilipatnam) and industrial corridors. [1]
Ethical/Governance: Record-driven culture raises concerns about quality vs. speed trade-off; CAG and parliamentary panels have previously flagged premature highway distress. [1]

6 Jan 2026: First 2 Guinness records set (24-hour distance & tonnage). [2]
11 Jan 2026: Additional 2 Guinness records set (cumulative 156 lane-km & 57,500 MT). [2]
20 Jan 2026: PIB release — Gadkari's official congratulatory statement on the 4 records. [1]

NHAI is a statutory body under the NHAI Act, 1988. [1]
Parent Ministry of NHAI: Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (not MoHUA). [1]
Concessionaire for the record-setting paving: Rajpath Infracon Pvt. Ltd. [1]
Record corridor: Bengaluru–Kadapa–Vijayawada Economic Corridor, Packages 2 & 3. [1]
Records location: near Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh. [2]
24-hour BC paving record: 28.89 lane-km (= 9.63 km × 3 lanes). [2]
24-hour BC tonnage record: 10,655 MT. [2]
Continuous paving record: 156 lane-km / 52 km × 3 lanes, beating 84.4 lane-km. [2]
Total continuous BC laid: 57,500 MT. [2]
Records announced via PIB on 20 January 2026. [1]
Earlier NH-53 record (2022): 75 km single-lane BC in 105 hrs 33 min (Amravati–Akola). [2]
Earlier 2022 record: Nagpur Double-Decker Viaduct, 3.14 km. [2]
Equipment: 70 tippers, 5 hot-mix plants, 1 paver, 17 rollers. [2]

GS-III: Infrastructure — Roads; Investment models (PPP, HAM, BOT).
GS-II: Government policies and interventions — Bharatmala Pariyojana.
Possible Mains stems: 1. "Examine the role of the concessionaire (HAM/BOT) model in accelerating India's national-highway expansion. Substantiate with recent examples." 2. "Speed of highway construction has become a benchmark for India's infrastructure capability — but at what cost? Critically analyse." 3. "Discuss how economic corridors under Bharatmala are reshaping inter-state logistics in South India."

Bharatmala Pariyojana — parent programme funding such corridors.
NHAI Act, 1988 — statutory framework.
Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) / BOT-Toll / EPC — concession structures.
PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan — multimodal infra integration.
National Logistics Policy 2022 — reduces logistics cost-to-GDP.
Vehicle Scrappage Policy & FASTag — allied MoRTH initiatives.
InvIT (NHAI Infrastructure Investment Trust) — asset monetisation.
National Monetisation Pipeline (NITI Aayog) — highways constitute the largest share.

NHAI is statutory (Act of Parliament), NOT a constitutional body and not a PSU.
Corridor is Bengaluru–Kadapa–Vijayawada, not Bengaluru–Chennai or Bengaluru–Hyderabad.
The 2022 NH-53 record (75 km in 105 hrs) is distinct from the Jan 2026 four records on the BKV corridor — don't conflate.
Distance "156 lane-km" ≠ 156 km of highway; it is 52 km × 3 lanes.
Parent Ministry is MoRTH, not Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (which handles urban roads/metros).