By OUR STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI, 8 Aug: Chief Minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami called on the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, in New Delhi today. The Chief Minister discussed various projects related to the state with the Union Minister. Union Minister of State, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, General VK Singh, Under Secretary in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Amit Ghosh, Principal Secretary, Government of Uttarakhand, RK Sudhanshu along with officials of the union ministry and the state Government were also present in the meeting.
On this occasion, Nitin Gadkari directed the officials concerned to expedite the works of All-weather Road project, considered to be the life line of Uttarakhand. It is noteworthy that 889 km long road has been approved at the cost of around Rs 12,000 crores and out of 53 works, 41 works have already been approved by the ministry in the Char Dham road project. Till date 19 works have been completed. Work is in progress in 22 works.
The Union Minister warned the officials of the Ministry and the State Government that any delay in the work of all-weather road project would not be justified and the above road be completed soon to enable the general public to commute comfortably.
On the request of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the Union Minister agreed to conduct feasibility survey for the construction of Dehradun Ring Road to make Dehradun city free from excessive traffic and congestion. At the same time, in respect of about 1100 acres of land adjoining the highway, the Union Minister proposed to the Chief Minister, the establishment of logistics park, Fruits and Vegetables Park and Aadhat Bazaar and assured the CM that all the funds for the construction would be provided by the Unioin Government. With these projects, it is hoped that there would be some relief from traffic jams and snarls in Dehradun.
On the request of the Chief Minister, approval was also given for Najibabad- Afzalgarh Bypass (length 42.50 km) to reduce the distance and time between Kumaon and Garhwal. With the construction of a bypass, the distance between Kumaon Garhwal would be reduced by 20 km leading to saving of around 45 minutes in travel time.
Approval was also given for four lane road from Majhaula to Khatima. With the construction of the above road, the movement of heavy vehicles and general public will be accessible and comfortable for Pilibhit and Bareilly districts of Uttar Pradesh. Apart from this, approval was also given for widening of road from Sitarganj to Tankarpur to four lanes. With the construction of the road, the route will be convenient along with saving a lot of time in traveling to Champawat and Pithoragarh districts. It was also agreed in the meeting to approve Pithoragarh to Askot motorway (about 47 km length) like an allweather project. This road will be constructed by BRO.
The Union Minister agreed on the request of the Chief Minister to compensation by the Union Government for any damages f the construction of roads above and below the land acquired in the construction of national highways caused damage to buildings and other structures. All the Himalayan states stand to benefit from this.
In the meeting, it was also agreed to organise an international level seminar in Dehradun in April 2023. In the said seminar, subject experts will discuss the construction of high quality tunnel routes for mountainous areas. About one thousand people from the country and abroad are expected to participate in this seminar.
