Union Home Minister Amit Shah lauds cabinet decision approving 8 national highway projects

New Delhi [India], August 2 (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday lauded the Union Cabinet's decision to approve the development of eight access-controlled national highway projects with a total length of 936 km.
In a post on X, Shah said, "Over the last ten years, Modi Ji has elevated Bharat's infrastructural standards to a world-class level by building a sprawling network of highways across the nation."
"Further advancing this vision, the Union Cabinet today approved a Rs50,655 crore megaproject to develop eight National High-Speed Road Corridors throughout Bharat. These corridors will unlock the nation's untapped economic potential by substantially reducing travel time and generating massive employment. My heartiest congratulations to Modi Ji on this decision," the Home Minister added.
Earlier, responding to the decision, PM Modi said that it will have a multiplier effect on the country's economic growth and boost employment opportunities.
In a post on X, PM Modi said, "TRANSFORMATIVE boost to India's infrastructure landscape! The Cabinet's approval of eight National High-Speed Road Corridor Projects at an expenditure of over Rs50,000 crore will have a MULTIPLIER EFFECT on our economic GROWTH and boost EMPLOYMENT opportunities. It also underlines our commitment to a futuristic and connected India."
The eight projects are: 6-lane Agra-Gwalior highway, 4-lane Kharagpur-Moregram, 6-lane Tharad-Deesa-Mehsana-Ahmedabad, 6-lane Tharad-Deesa-Mehsana-Ahmedabad, 4-lane Section between Pathalgaon and Gumla of Raipur-Ranchi, 6-lane Kanpur Ring Road, 4-lane Northern Guwahati Bypass and Widening/Improvement of Existing Guwahati Bypass, and 8-lane Elevated Nashik Phata-Khed Corridor near Pune.
In Ayodhya, the 68-km 4-lane access-controlled Ayodhya Ring Road will be developed at a total capital cost of Rs3,935 crore. The Ring Road is expected to reduce congestion on National Highways passing through the city -- NH 27 (East-West Corridor), NH 227 A, NH 227B, NH 330, NH 330A, and NH 135A -- thereby enabling fast movement of pilgrims visiting the Ram Mandir.
In Guwahati, the gateway to northeast India, a 121-km ring road will be developed at a total capital cost of Rs5,729 crore in three sections: 4-lane Access-Controlled Northern Guwahati Bypass (56 km), widening of the existing 4-lane bypass on NH 27 to 6 lanes (8 km), and improvement of the existing bypass on NH 27 (58 km).
Recognizing the importance of infrastructure in the overall economic growth of the country, the Government of India has been investing heavily in building world-class road infrastructure over the last ten years.
"The length of National Highways (NH) has increased approximately 1.6 times from 0.91 lakh km in 2013-14 to 1.46 lakh km currently. There has been a significant increase in the pace of awarding and constructing National Highways in the country in the last ten years," the government said in a statement. (ANI)