After Manipur, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari lays down foundation of expressways in MP

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, in a video conference, laid down the foundation of 45 highways in the state of Madhya Pradesh, on Tuesday. The conference was moderated by Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. The other attendees to the event included Union Ministers Thavarchand Gehlot and Narendra Tomar, Union Minister of state Prahlad Singh Patel, Faggan Singh Kulaste, Gen (Dr) V K Singh (Retd), Ministers from the State, several MPs, MLAs and other senior officers from the central and state government. 

The inauguration of the construction project was the second of its kind after the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways had inaugurated the foundation of 13 more such highways in the state of Manipur last week. 

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"The projects, which have been inaugurated, have a total road length of 1361 kilometers, involving a construction value of Rs 11427 crores. The roads shall also help in developing the state by providing better connectivity, convenience, and economic growth. The movement of goods throughout the state, and even with the neighboring states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, among others," said a press release by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. 

While addressing the video conference, Gadkari said that every year, about 5 lakh accidents take place in the country, of which 1.5 lakh people, between the age of 18 and 24, lose their lives because of the same. 

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The work over the 244-km long section of the Delhi-Mumbai expressway, which passes through Madhya Pradesh, has begun and Rs 8,214 crores have been allocated for the same. A 173-km long, 4-lane road would also be constructed to provide connectivity to the Malwa region from the expressway, added the Union Minister. 

Read | Nitin Gadkari lays foundation for 13 National Highway Projects worth Rs 3000 cr in Manipur

Soon, every district of the nation would be having a driving school. This would not only reduce accidents but also make the country more self-sufficient, said the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways. 

"The picture of the state would surely see a complete makeover after the highway construction projects would see completion," added Gadkari. 

Shivraj Singh Chouhan assured that the state government machinery would support the project wholeheartedly.

Read | Nitin Gadkari lays foundation for 13 National Highway Projects worth Rs 3000 cr in Manipur