Gadkari lays foundation stone for 11 national highway projects in Haryana

Chandigarh: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday inaugurated and laid foundation stone for 11 national highway projects worth Rs 20,000 crore in Haryana as part of the new economic corridor.

In the 'new economic corridor', more than Rs 20,000 crore will be invested to ensure smooth connectivity from Haryana to other states, including Punjab, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, the Minister for Road Transport and Highways Gadkari said in his address through video conferencing.

"These highways will pave the way for infrastructure development at large scale and farmers will get better market access," he said. The online function was presided over by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

Union Ministers Gen V K Singh (retd), Krishan Pal Gurjar, Rao Inderjit Singh, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Chairman S S Sandhu were also present during the function. The 35.45-km 4-lane Rohna/Hasangarh to Jhajjar section of NH 334B costing Rs 1,183 crore, 70 km 4-laning of Punjab-Haryana border to Jind section of NH 71 (Rs 857 crore), and the 85.36 km 2-lane with paved shoulders Jind-Karnal Highway on NH 709 (Rs 200 crore) were the three projects inaugurated.

Foundation stones were laid for eight projects worth over Rs 17,000 crore, including 227 km 6-lane access controlled Greenfield Expressway from Ismailpur to Narnaul on NH 152D costing Rs 8,650 crore, 46 km 4-lane Gurugram Pataudi-Rewari section of NH 352W (Rs 1,524 crore) and 14.4 km 4-lane Rewari bypass for Rs 928 crore.

Khattar said improved road connectivity will further boost industrial growth and usher in development in the state. Gadkari said these projects will further speed up Haryana's progress. He said Delhi-Amritsar-Katra highway via Jind and Delhi-Mumbai highway projects being built will also be beneficial for Haryana.

"These highways are important for country's development. Be it Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir UT, better connectivity with western part of India will further boost industrial growth," he said.

"I keep telling people that money is not problem, will power is needed, technology and resources are secondary. First, you need to have will to work and right intent," he added.