Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje asks Nitin Gadkari to approve Kota-Darra Highway

JAIPUR: Stressing Rajasthan's highway needs, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje today asked Union Minsiter Nitin Gadkari to approve a proposal for Kota-Darra National Highway-12.

At a high-level meeting with Road, Transport and Highway Minister Gadkari, the chief minsiter said a proposal for Kota-Darra NH-12 for Rs 621 crore be approved by the Union ministry, according to an official spokesperson here.

Raje also underlined the pending national highway work saying it should be completed at the earliest.

Ten major national highway works were initiated in the state which requires a few more in near future to ease road traffic, she said.

The union minister approved in-principal the state's proposal to build a Kota bypass of 7 km on NH76 with a construction cost of Rs 2,977 crore.

Gadkari said that on December 13, 2014 foundation of nine national highway projects in Rajasthan was laid, of which the civil work on seven were already started while the ministry was awaiting environmental clearance on the remaining two projects.

On the controversial delay on Jaipur-Delhi-NH, Gadkari said 52 out of 57 bridges were completed and remaining would be completed by December next. Ninety per cent of civil work on the highway would be completed by end of next month, he said.

He also said that in order to reduce road accidents on highways, ten cities were shortlisted for Intelligence Traffic System and Jaipur was one of them.

On the pattern of airports, Transport Ministry was working on Bus Port and for this three proposals of Rajasthan were approved, the official, quoting Gadkari said.

The work to connect every district headquarters with National Highway, and to built Express Highway network was also underway, and union ministry had asked Rajasthan to submit a proposal, he said.

Besides, a number of demands on bypasses, central road fund, and overloading by heavy vehicles were put up before Gadkari, the spokesperson said.