Himachal govt sent proposal to Centre to build 5 new NHs in state: Minister

The Himachal Pradesh government has sent a proposal to the Centre seeking approval for five new national highways in the state, Public Works and Urban Development Minister Vikramaditya Singh said on Friday.

Addressing a press conference here after holding a review meeting of his department, Singh said the construction of these proposed national highways will accelerate development in the hill state.

"Efforts will be made to expedite the process by meeting Union Highways and Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari," Singh said, as he expressed hope that the Centre will give its nod to the proposals soon.

During the tenure of the previous BJP government in Himachal, 69 national highways were announced but none of those announcements saw the light of the day, Singh claimed.

The Congress leader also said that a provision should be made to keep aside 25-30 per cent budget amount for all new projects so that development work can proceed uninterrupted.

Claiming that foundation stones for many projects were laid by the previous BJP government without proper allocation of funds due to which they remained incomplete, Singh said the Congress government is committed to finish the stalled projects.

Efforts will be also made to bring them under the Central Road Infrastructure Fund to increase financial assistance for the main district roads in the state, he said.

"For this purpose, we will meet Union minister Nitin Gadkari in Delhi and try to get more support for the road projects through the Central fund," Singh added.

The Congress leader also expressed gratitude to Gadkari for the support received by his department, informing that Himachal recently received an additional aid of Rs 300 crore for its Public Works Department.