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Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday reviewed the progress of 21 ongoing National Highway projects spanning over 747 km in Kerala, the minister said in a post on the social media platform "X".
Union Minister Gadkari was accompanied by Union Minister of State (MoS) Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, Ajay Tamba and Minister of State (MoS) for Tourism and Petroleum and Natural Gas, Suressh Gopi along with senior officials in Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The union government is actively working to expand national highways in the country. Gadkari in January this year inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 12 National Highway projects with a total length of 105 kilometres, worth over Rs 1464 crore. As per the statement of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the proposed projects aim to enhance seamless connectivity between Tamil Nadu and Kerala, ensuring swift and trouble-free transportation. This initiative holds the promise of reducing overall transportation costs. Furthermore, a focus on eliminating black spots on national highways is anticipated to contribute to a significant decrease in road accidents, the ministry had said. It further added that the undertaking is poised to generate substantial employment opportunities, both directly and indirectly, fostering socio-economic growth in Kerala. Additionally, the improved accessibility to Munnar is expected to boost tourism potential, while the construction of a high-level bridge will eliminate a 27-kilometre detour during floods, streamlining travel and benefiting the export of key Kerala products, as per the ministry. According to the official document, 8 major projects spanning a total length of 198 km, worth a total cost of Rs. 4,043 crores, are at various stages of progress. Detailed project reports (DPR) for 1,290 km of NH worth approximately Rs. 27,650 crore are being prepared. Under Setu Bharatam, 4 ROBs have been identified worth a cost of about Rs. 200 crore. These projects will be a boon for Kerala's economy and tourism, as per the government. Some of the landmark projects being developed in the states are the Thiruvananthapuram Bypass, Thalassery - Mahe Bypass, and Kuthiran Tunnel, among others. Three major Greenfield NH projects are also in the pipeline. They are 4 laning of Palakkad to Kozhikode section of NH-966, 4 lane Greenfield Road from Kochi to KL/TN Border section of NH-85, and 4-Lane Thiruvananthpuram - Kottarkarra - Kottayam - Angamali (MC Road). Gadkari in his written reply to the Rajya Sabha last year, informed that the government of Kerala has agreed to share 25 per cent cost of land acquisition amounting to Rs.5748 Cr for 16 ongoing projects on NH-66, out of which Rs.5581 crore has been deposited. Further, he added that the government of Kerala has also agreed to share a 25 per cent cost of land acquisition, amounting to Rs.4440 crore for the upcoming three Greenfield NH projects. The state government has agreed to share 50 per cent cost of land acquisition, 100 per cent cost of service road and exemption of State GST and royalty for Thiruvananthapuram Outer Ring Road section of NH-866, he added. During the last 5 years, around 160 km of NH has been constructed by NHAI in the State of Kerala, according to the minister. According to the figures shared by the ministry in January this year, India has about 66.71 lakh km of road network, which is the second largest in the world. The total length of the National Highways stands at 1,46,145 km. (ANI)
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