CHANDIGARH, Haryana: Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Transport and Highways, Government of India, inaugurated 11 flyovers on the eight-lane National Highway from Delhi to Panipat at Sonipat.
The project was completed at the cost of ₹900 crore with a length of 24 km. Gadkari further disclosed that ₹300 crore would be provided under the “Setu Bharatam Yojana” for the construction of Road Over Bridge (ROB) and Road Under Bridge (RUB) in order to make Haryana free of railway level crossings.
Chief Minister of Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar stated, “17 National Highways have so far been constructed in the state. Perhaps, Haryana is the only state in which all district headquarters have been connected to National Highways. Apart from this, several projects are in the pipeline. The Central Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has completed its tenure of nine years. On the other hand, the double-engine Government in Haryana has also done remarkably in every field in the last eight and a half years. Besides further strengthening the road and rail network, today a common man is also traveling by air.”
He further spoke about metro connectivity. “The metro would be expanded up to Kundli. Apart from this, Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) has been approved from Sarai Kale Khan to Panipat and Karnal and construction work would start soon.”
While addressing the gathering, Gadkari said, “Work will be done on projects worth ₹2 lakh crore in Haryana by December 2024, Haryana’s roads will be developed at par with America. My ministry is working on 100 projects in Haryana which are expected to be completed by December 2024. Out of these, 51 projects of 2,200 km worth ₹47,000 crore have been completed whereas, 30 projects of 830 km worth ₹35,000 crore are in progress. Among 19 other projects of 756 km worth ₹20,000 crores, a detailed project report of 14 projects is being prepared. I also assure the Chief Minister that works on projects involving an investment of Rs two lakh crore would be carried out in Haryana by December 2024. These projects would change the image of Haryana and the roads of the state would be developed at par with America.”
Revisiting old memories, Gadkari said, “When I was holding the charge of Union Water Resources Minister, Chief Minister Manohar Lal had demanded that farmers should be paid remunerative prices for their produce and also adequate water be given to the fields. At that time, there were water disputes in Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Himachal, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi that were hanging fire for the last 40 years. To settle most of the disputes, projects of Uttarakhand and Himachal were cleared so that Haryana could get its share of water.”
Elaborating on the Government’s nine years, he further added, “The Central Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the last nine years, has done work two times more than what Congress could not do in 60 years. 30 crore people in the country are getting the benefit of Ayushman Bharat Yojana. Apart from this, 10 crore gas connections have been given under the PM Ujjwala Yojana. Under the Jan Dhan Yojana, 49 crore bank accounts for the poor have been opened. Also, 12 crore toilets have been constructed under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, financial assistance is being given to 11 crore farmers. Similarly, houses were built and given to three crore people under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. About 30 crore people have been covered under the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and 14 crore people under Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana. In addition, 12 crore water connections were given under the Smart City Mission.”
He further added, “Providing an e-rickshaw to about one crore rickshaw pullers in the country is one of the revolutionary steps of the present Government at the Centre. I am confident that under the leadership of Narendra Modi, we will be successful in creating a self-reliant India, a happy, prosperous, powerful India, and providing employment to the youth of the country.”