Mamata meets Gadkari, discusses road, infrastructure projects

New Delhi: In a bid to invite global investment to the state, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister of Road and Transport, on Thursday afternoon at his residence in Delhi and discussed several infrastructure projects.

On the fourth day of her visit to the national Capital, Banerjee pushed for better manufacturing infrastructure and road connectivity in West Bengal.

"We discussed issues related to road and infrastructure projects, including transport, road connectivity and manufacturing units with electric buses. We have also asked to build some flyovers in Kolkata," Banerjee told media persons after the meeting.

The Bengal Chief Minister also submitted a report and brought up pending road and transport projects, including the deep-sea port at Tajpur with the Union minister. The sea port, located nearly 200 km from Kolkata, is expected to draw an investment of Rs 15,000 crore and generate 25,000 jobs in the state.

Senior officials from different departments of the ministry and the Resident Commissioner of West Bengal in Delhi were also present in the hour-long meeting. "The meeting was very fruitful and our state administrative officials will meet the officials of Gadkariji to prepare a report on how and when to start the developmental plans which were discussed," Banerjee mentioned. She confirmed that Chief Secretary H K Dwivedi will also be meeting the Union minister at his convenience and will submit a detailed report.

She also presented a report on the construction of rural roads in the state under the third phase of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and requested a bridge at Ganga Sagar in South 24-Parganas during the meeting.

Further, she discussed over widening and repairing of various important roads — from Digha (East Midnapore) to Barasat (North 24-Parganas), from Barasat to Bongaon in North 24-Parganas district. Also, she pushed for a three-tier transportation system due to the state's population density, which will enable vehicles to travel under the ground, on the surface and over a flyover simultaneously in a congested area.

For the convenience of people, she requested the Union minister to upgrade road connectivity in North Bengal — from Siliguri to Sevoke (in North Bengal) and from Sevoke to Rangpo in Sikkim. The state shares borders with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and the north-eastern states.

Further, the widening of NH35, which connects Bongaon to Barasat was also discussed during the meeting. In September 2012, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) scrapped the four-lane proposal due to the unavailability of land. The NH35 stretch leads to the India-Bangladesh border at Petrapole, which is the largest trade gateway between India and Bangladesh and accounts for 60 per cent of the business volume of around Rs 8,000 crore.

"I discussed the matter (widening of NH35) because it will be better for both India and Bangladesh as far trade is concerned. To renew the project, we will chalk out some solution for them, as we cannot encroach," Banerjee said.

Later, Gadkari's office said in a tweet: "Chief Minister of West Bengal Sushri @MamataOfficial called on Union Minister Shri @nitin_gadkari Ji today. In the presence of officials, they reviewed various road projects being undertaken in the state."

DMK MP Kanimozhi and actor Shabana Azmi and her husband, lyricist Javed Akhtar also called on Banerjee on Thursday.