
Centre planning ₹10 lakh crore investment to rewire highways; roads in northeast will be on par with the U.S.: Gadkari
The Hindu
Centre to invest ₹10 lakh crore in highways over 2 years, focusing on Northeast; roads to rival U.S. standards.
The Centre is planning to invest ₹10 lakh crore over the next two years to strengthen highways across the country, with special focus on the Northeast, where roads will rival those in the U.S., Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said.
In an interview to PTI, he said the Centre is working to transform the country's infrastructure drastically in the next two years so that it matches the best in the world.
"We plan to take up projects worth ₹10 lakh crore in the next two years to strengthen highways across the country, with special emphasis on enhancing infrastructure in the Northeast and the border areas. In the coming two years, highways in the Northeast will be on a par with U.S. roads," Mr. Gadkari said.
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There is an urgent need to augment the road infrastructure in the Northeast given its difficult terrain and proximity to borders, he said.
"It is our endeavour to transform the country's infrastructure drastically so that it matches with the best in the world," he said, maintaining that works are underway in all States, including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Delhi.
Mr. Gadkari said 784 highway projects are going to be implemented in the eastern States at an estimated cost of ₹3,73,484 crore, covering 21,355 km.