“We will strive to improve Indian roads to global standards in a few years,” Union Minister for Road Transport Nitin Gadkari said in Belagavi on February 28
“We have plans to develop national and State highways that are linked, on the lines of highways in the USA,” he said while laying the foundation stone for several road projects in north Karnataka. He set a deadline of 2024 for the upgradation of major road networks in India. “We know that road connectivity is crucial to all-round development. That is why are focusing on the improvement of roads.”
As part of this initiative, the Union Government has started several schemes, like Bharat Mala. Inspired by the success of Bharat Mala, the Centre had launched Bharat Mala 2. “The scope of Bharat Mala 2 would be expanded by including more road networks and related projects. For example, the driving distance between Pune and Bengaluru would be reduced by 100 km in the next phase,’’ he said.
The 9,000-km greenfield highways project is being undertaken at a cost of ₹3 lakh crore. This includes the Bengaluru-Chennai stretch too, he said. He said the quality of the Delhi-Mumbai highway had been improved to such an extent that the average speed of commuters is 120 km per hour, and people are covering the distance of 1,400 km in less than 12 hours.
The Union Government is trying to create industrial villages and tourism clusters along highways if State Governments take up the task of acquiring additional land for such purposes. This will not only reduce traffic congestion, but also reduce the pressure on cities, he said.
The Union road ministry would provide approval to all the projects proposed by legislators. “We had got a proposal from MLA Abhay Patil for a flyover for Belagavi city. But the clearance was delayed due to some local constraints. If the Karnataka Government clears all local hurdles, the project would be completed on priority,” he said.
Mr. Gadkari hoped that the new highways that will come up between Karnataka and Maharashtra will speed up industrialisation, and help sugarcane farmers transport their produce to factories easily.
