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Union Minister for Road, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said people will be able to reach Delhi from Srinagar in just eight hours in future after the completion of several infrastructure projects being carried out in Jammu and Kashmir, according to news agency PTI report.
The minister said the government was taking up several important infrastructure projects in Jammu and Kashmir that will improve connectivity in the region.
The Union minister made these remarks while speaking an event organised at the India International Centre here to felicitate the actors and director of 'The Kashmir Files' movie.
"We are constructing Asia's longest tunnel at Zozila between Kashmir and Ladakh. The Atal Tunnel on Leh-Manali route has already reduced the travel time. The work on Srinagar-Katra-Delhi expressway is also in progress and in future people will be able to reach Delhi from Srinagar in just eight hours," Gadkari said.
Asserting that better road network is key to development, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday said the BJP-led government at the Centre has been taking steps to improve road connectivity across the country. Gadkari said that the road network is getting strengthened rapidly which is also helping generate new avenues of employment.
The Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways was speaking at the inauguration of five national highway (NH) projects -- having a road length of 297km and a completion cost of ₹2,872 crore -- in Haryana’s Sonipat. According to an official statement here, Gadkari inaugurated Jind-Gohana NH-352A built at a cost of ₹132 crore, Bhiwani-Mundhal-Jind NH-709A at ₹183 crore, Jhajjar-Loharu NH-334B at ₹136.25 crore, UP/Haryana border to Gohana NH-334B at ₹1,020 crore, and Mukarba Chowk to Panipat NH-44 constructed at a cost of ₹1,400 crore. “Better road network is key to development," Gadkari said.
He also said for development four things are important. "Water, power, transport and communication -- and where these four things are, there are industry, employment and growth there," he said. Pointing out how good roads bring progress, Gadkari said former United States President John F Kennedy had once said, "American roads are not good because America is rich, but America is rich because American roads are good."
The Union minister cited an example of the Delhi-Meerut highway and said with its completion, travel time, which used to be four-and-a-half hours earlier, has now reduced to 40 minutes.
(With inputs from agencies)
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