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UPSC Prelims 2004 · Indian Geography · India’s Land and Borders
Which among the following National Highway routes is the longest?
- (a) Agra–Mumbai
- (b) Chennai–Thane
- (c) Kolkata–Hazira
- (d) Pune–Machilipatnam
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (c) Kolkata–Hazira
Kolkata–Hazira (old NH 6) was about 1,950 km — the longest of the four.
The idea
Compare the road distances between the named endpoints, not the total length of every highway touching those cities. A long cross-country corridor can exceed a shorter route even if both carry major highway numbers. The relevant network is the one used in the 2004 question.
Why the others are wrong
(a) Agra–Mumbai (old NH 3) was about 1,190 km.
(b) Chennai–Thane (old NH 4) was about 1,235 km.
(d) Pune–Machilipatnam (old NH 9) was about 840 km.
The trap
None. The numbers have changed since 2010, but the key uses the old routes.
Also know
Hazira lies near Surat in Gujarat, while Machilipatnam is an Andhra Pradesh port town. Thane is near Mumbai and Agra is on the Yamuna. An endpoint pair can remain geographically valid after renumbering, but its highway label may change.
🔒 Old longest: NH 7 (Varanasi–Kanyakumari, 2,369 km). Now: NH 44 (Srinagar–Kanyakumari, ~3,745 km).
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