PM reviews performance of national highways programme

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today chaired a high level meeting to review the progress of National Highways (NH) programmes.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari were also present at the meeting, an official statement said today.
"Reviewing the progress of highway construction in the North-East, the Prime Minister asked officials to ensure good connectivity between the new road projects and nearby airports," it added.
He said the BBIN agreement for seamless movement of road traffic between India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal would not only have a profound impact on the economy of the region, but would also bring benefits from the environmental perspective, by reducing travel times, the statement said.

"He urged concerned officials to explore all possibilities of innovation in the materials and technology aspects of road construction," it added.
The Prime Minister directed priority to be given to high-quality port connectivity projects. He also called for aggressive tree plantation along all highway projects, it said.