By Our Staff Reporter
Tanakpur, 13 Feb: Union Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari today laid the foundation stone of 8 National Highway projects worth Rs 2217 crores in Tanakpur.
Addressing the public meeting organised at Gandhi Maidan, here, on this occasion, the Union Minister said that not only the work on roads and highways is going on with the aim of creating excellent road infrastructure in Uttarakhand, but also to ensure the safety of the people. He said that repair work on two bridges on Saryu and Gomdi rivers in Bageshwar district is also being carried out at a cost of Rs 5 crores. These projects will not only benefit tourists but also make transportation easier for the local people. He said that, apart from this, the local economy will also be strengthened without causing any harm to the environment.
Gadkari said that, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, both the Centre and the state government are committed to the development of Uttarakhand. The widening of the Kathgodam to Nainital Road with 2-lane paved portion would improve connectivity to Nainital-Manaskhand temples. The 4-lane widening of Kashipur to Ramnagar Road would make it easier for tourists to reach Jim Corbett National Park and Manaskhand temples. Widening of the Kangarchina to Almora Road to 2 lanes will increase the number of tourists visiting Bageshwar. The 2-lane widening and rehabilitation of Kanda Marg from Udiyari Bend on National Highway 309A will ease access to Bagnath and Baijnath temples in Bageshwar. Also, the difficult journey from Bageshwar to Pithoragarh will be better, safer and time saving, he insisted.
On this occasion, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed his gratitude to the Union Minister for laying the foundation stone of the 8 important projects worth Rs 2217 crores for the Kumaon region. The Chief Minister said that strengthening connectivity in Uttarakhand is the government’s priority. The government is ensuring that the state moves forward in this direction at a fast pace. The roads are a symbol of development, this is the path on which the dream of the best Uttarakhand will come true. He said that the level at which road construction work is being done in the state under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari is unprecedented. Many projects are being worked on jointly by the National Highways Authority of India and the Public Works Department of the state.
Dhami said that, at a recent meeting with the department, he had reviewed all the ongoing and proposed works in the state. The status of ongoing development works in the state was satisfactory and all the schemes will be completed on time. He said that, like the Char Dham road project, the government has decided to make the Manaskhand Corridor a flagship project of the state and has started working on it.
The Chief Minister added that, today, under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and the guidance of Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, a network of roads is being built till the border areas. The need for this strategically important road network was being felt for years and today the double engine government is working to complete the works pending for decades.
The Chief Minister said that, today, the entire country is saying that Modi’s guarantee means guarantee of fulfilment. The Prime Minister has given guarantees for the development of roads, construction of new airports, providing basic facilities to the poor, women, youth and farmers and everyone is seeing that most of these guarantees are being fulfilled. The Chief Minister said that the double engine government is committed to reach every beneficiary. The aim is to make the life of every citizen easier and the government is succeeding in this effort.
On this occasion, Union Minister of State for Defence and Tourism Ajay Bhatt said that India has been transformed in the last 10 years. Today the world is recognising India’s might. MP Ajay Tamta spoke about the various development works being done in Almora parliamentary constituency as well as the road projects and proposed projects being built to connect the Chardham and Manaskhand temples. On this occasion, MLA, Kashipur, Trilok Singh Cheema, Hema Joshi, District Panchayat President Jyoti Rai, BJP District President Nirmal Mehar, Chief Engineer, Road Transport and Highways Ministry, DK Sharma, District Magistrate Navneet Pandey, Superintendent of Police Ajay Ganpati and various public representatives were among those present.
