Nitin Gadkari lays foundation stone for 45 highway projects in MP

NEW DELHI: Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Government of India, on Tuesday, August 25, inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for 45 highway projects in Madhya Pradesh through video conferencing. The virtual event was also attended by Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Chief Minister, Madhya Pradesh; Union Ministers Thavarchand Gehlot and Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of State (MoSs) Prahlad Singh Patel, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Gen (Dr) V K Singh (Retd), among others. 

According to a release by the Road Transport & Highways Ministry, the road length of these projects is 1,361 kilometers and include a construction value of Rs 11,427 crore. These projects will improve connectivity, convenience and economic growth in and around the state and movement of people and goods to and from neighboring states like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, etc. will be eased. The better roads will save both time and fuel and also lower emission of pollutants. These projects will further decongest roads and enroute towns that will contribute to improving road experience.

On the occasion, Gadkari said that in the year 2014, the total length of national highways was barely 5,186 km, but today it is 13,248 km. He added that development works worth Rs 1,25,000 crore are underway in Madhya Pradesh. As much as 60 to 70 per cent of the total work has been completed on approximately Rs 30,000 crore worth road works in the State. Several of these roads are important for providing connectivity to the tourist spots and backward areas of the State, he said.