<P> The Golden Quadrilateral is a highway network connecting many of the major industrial, agricultural and cultural centres of India . It forms a quadrilateral connecting Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai . Other cities connected by this network are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Jaipur, Kanpur, Pune, Surat, Vijayawada, Ajmer, Vizag, Bodhgaya, Varanasi, Agra, Dhanbad, Gandhinagar, Udaipur, Vadodara . </P> <P> It is the largest highway project in India and the fifth longest in the world, at 5,846 km . Started by the NDA government led by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee it is the first phase of the National Highways Development Project (NHDP), and consists of 5,846 km (3,633 mi) four / six lane express highways, built at a cost of ₹ 600 billion (US $8.7 billion). The project was launched in 2001 by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and was completed in 2012 . The vast majority of system is not access controlled, although safety features such as guardrails, shoulders, and high - visibility signs are in use . </P> <P> The Golden Quadrilateral project is managed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) under the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways . The Mumbai - Pune Expressway, the first controlled - access toll road to be built in India, is a part of the GQ Project but not funded by NHAI, and separate from the main highway . Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) has been one of the major contributors to the infrastructural development activity in the GQ project . This project was conceptualised in 1999 and started in 2001 . It was projected to connect four metropolitan cities of India: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata . The project consisted of constructing four - and six - lane express highways . Although the project was planned to be completed by 2006, due to delays like land acquisition, awarding contracts, zoning challenges, and funding problems, it was finally completed in 2012 . It is a network of highways that connect the four major metropolitan cities of the country in four directions--Delhi (North), Chennai (South), Kolkata (East) and Mumbai (West)--thereby forming a quadrilateral, and hence the name Golden Quadrilateral . </P> <P> The planning for the project was completed in 1999 but the construction work officially started in 2001 . Though it was estimated to be completed by 2006, it actually became operational in January 2012 . The Golden Quadrilateral project included construction of new express highways, including renovation and extension of the existing highways to four or six lanes . </P>

Mention the objectives of road development programme under the golden quadrilateral project in india