SHILLLONG, Feb 18: Road projects worth Rs 25,842 crore are being implemented in Meghalaya, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Saturday.
Addressing election rallies in South Garo Hills and West Khasi Hills districts, Gadkari also informed that the Centre is making roads valued at Rs 3 lakh crore in the North East to help eradicate poverty and reduce the suffering of the people.
“To eradicate poverty and reduce the suffering of people, we have to make good roads and in NE, the Modi government is making roads worth 3 lakh crore which will be completed by 2024,” the union minister said.
“There are places where there are schools but no teachers; places where there are teachers but no school buildings and places where there may be both but no students due to lack of road connectivity and other related issues,” he said.
“For a place to prosper and develop, industries and businesses are needed, which can only be achieved if there are good sources of water and power, good transport and communication facilities,” the minister added.
“For the eradication of poverty, it is absolutely essential that industry and business both grow side by side. In the absence of good infrastructure, we don’t have industry and without industry, we don’t have the potential for growth and employment,” Gadkari said.
The union minister also informed that the construction of 130-km two-lane paved shoulder Ranikor-Baghmara road and the 43-km two-lane paved shoulder Nongstoin-Wahkaji road, which are being constructed at a cost of Rs 1,300 crore and Rs. 302 crore respectively, will be completed by August 2023.
He also informed that various detailed project reports (DPRs) are being prepared for various road projects across Meghalaya, including four-lane Shillong bypass.
“An important bridge is also being constructed on the Brahmaputra River from Phulbari in Meghalaya to Dhubri in Assam at a cost of Rs 5,000 crore, and with the construction of this bridge, the distance from Phulbari to Dhubri will be reduced by 203 km,” the Union transport minister added.
He also informed that the network of road connectivity in NE has increased by 25 per cent since 2014.
“National Highway projects worth Rs 4000 crore are going on in 351 projects in NE,” he said, listing out a number of projects which are nearing completion and also those which are in the pipeline. (With PTI inputs)
