Highways work worth Rs 8 lakh cr to begin before end of 2018: Gadkari

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari on October 25, 2017, said that highways works worth Rs 8 lakh crore will begin before the end of 2018 under the Bharatmala Pariyojana.

Gadkari was speaking to mediapersons in New Delhi today, a day after the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by PM Narendra Modi approved Phase I of Bharatmala Pariyojana. Bharatmala is a new umbrella programme for the highways sector that focuses on optimizing efficiency of road traffic movement across the country by bridging critical infrastructure gaps. Gadkari said that Bharatmala will be a major driver for economic growth in the country and help realize PM Modi’s vision of a New India, according to a PIB release.

He said the programme has been designed to bridge the gaps in the existing highways infrastructure so as to make the movement of man and material more efficient. Special attention has been paid to fulfill the connectivity needs of  backward and tribal areas, areas of economic activity, places of religious and tourist interest, border areas, coastal areas and trade routes with neighbouring countries under the programme.

The Minister also said that Bharatmala will give the country 50 national corridors as opposed to the 6 at present. With this,  70 – 80 percent of freight will move along NH as against the 40 % at present. The programme will help connect 550 districts in the country through NH linkages. Currently, only around 300 districts have NH linkages.

Bharatmala will also have a positive impact on the Logistic Performance Index (LPI) of the country. Apart from this, the Minister said the programme will also help generate a large number of direct and indirect employment in the construction activity, the development of highways amenities and also enhance economic activity in  different parts of the country that will result from better road  connectivity, according to the PIB release. Construction of around 24,800 km road are being considered in Phase I of Bharatmala.