Infrastructure development top priority; Rs 4Lakh crore stuck projects rolled: PM Narendra Modi

NEW DELHI: The government has rolled out stuck projects worth Rs 4 lakh crore in the past six months, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday.

Modi, who was in Kundli on Delhi-Haryana border to lay the foundation stone of three roads projects costing over Rs 13,800 crore that will decongest traffic in Delhi and National Capital Region, said infrastructure was the top priority of his government and building roads was the fastest means to bring economic growth.

Showering praise on road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari for the work done since the government assumed charge in May 2014, Modi said that no one has done as much for the roads and highways sector in the past 60 years as Gadkari has done.

Modi said that road projects like Bharatmala and Setu Bharatam will accelerate the pace of development in the country.

“Bharatmala will connect 123 districts to national highways. Under the Setu Bharatam project, we’ll be building over 400 new bridges,” the Prime Minister said. He said that his government had brought in new rules to accelerate the pace of implementing projects.

“We’ll not only create highways but also I-ways (Information highways). Our mission is to provide 24x7 power to all villages of India by 2022,” Modi said.

Four road projects worth Rs 20,000 crore to decongest Delhi have been approved. Three road projects – western peripheral expressway (stuck since 2006), eastern peripheral expressway (stuck since 2009) and eight-laning of highway section from Mukarba Chowk (Delhi) to Panipat – have finally been rolled out. The total length of these projects is 341 km.

“These projects will change things for Delhi and NCR. Not only traffic will come down but the vehicular pollution will also be under control in the capital,” road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday. The government will also soon start work on Delhi-Meerut expressway, which will cost about Rs 6,500 crore. The project will be awarded only through the newly conceived hybrid annuity model, under which the government will share cost with private player.