Nitin Gadkari announces highway projects worth Rs 1 lakh cr in Rajasthan

Modi is scheduled to inaugurate 11 projects worth Rs 15,000 cr on Aug 29

The Centre plans to launch road projects worth Rs 1 lakh crore over the next two years and provide a robust highways infrastructure in Rajasthan, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate 11 projects and lay the foundation stone of six others, in all worth Rs 15,000 crore, in the state on August 29.

He will 'dedicate to the nation', along with Gadkari, the completed highway projects totalling 873 km at Udaipur.

"In line with the Prime Minister's vision to accord the highest priority to infrastructure, we stand committed to augmenting the highways infrastructure in Rajasthan," Gadkari told PTI.

The Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister said the length of National Highways in the state has been doubled to about 14,000 km, from the 7,000 km when the NDA government took over.

"We plan to take up highway projects worth about Rs 1 lakh crore in the state in the next two years," he said.

The investment will be in addition to the existing and completed projects worth about Rs 1 lakh crore, he said.

A new expressway will be built connecting the national capital to the pink city in addition to the Delhi-Jaipur Highways which will be completed by December as about 90 per cent of the work has been done, he said.

"The alignment for the new Delhi-Jaipur Expressway has been finalised. Land acquisition will be done shortly. This, on completion, will be an important milestone in the development of Rajasthan," he said, adding that one would be able to reach Jaipur from Delhi in two-and-a-half hours.

Gadkari said augmentation of highways infrastructure in the state will bolster industrial development in the state.

Elaborating on the Rs 15,000 crore projects, he said four of these are such which have been pending for a long time and include 6-lane Cable Stayed Bridge across river Chambal at Kota.

"The cable stayed bridge was stuck for years and had many problems. Contractors were unable to complete the project. Ultimately, we could get it completed," he said.

The Cable Stayed 1.4 km long Bridge across river Chambal at Kota, built at a cost of Rs 278 crore, will be opened for traffic by the Prime Minister.

Gadkari said to expedite highways projects, Centre has taken a number of steps including 22 cabinet decisions.

The 11 projects to be inaugurated by Modi next week include the Rs 1,128 crore Gomati Chauraha-Udaipur project at Rajsamand. The other projects are located in Bhilwara, Pali, Nagaur, Barmer, Sikar, Churu, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Barmer.

In addition, he will perform ground breaking ceremony for six NH projects of about 556 km.