PM announces Rs 12,000 cr investment in 8 highways in Gujarat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced investment of Rs 12,000 crore in upgrading eight state highways to National Highways in Gujarat as part of efforts to boost infrastructure development and job generation in the state.

The Prime Minister said the country is going to compete with the world and projects would not be allowed to languish for years.

Bharatmala and Sagarmala projects will together augment India's infrastructure and projects will not be allowed to languish for years as "India is going to compete with the world", Modi said after dedicating to the nation a cable-stayed bridge over the Narmada river here.

"Strict timeframes would be adhered to for completing projects while using modern technologies ... There are incomplete bridges and structures languishing for 10-15 years," he said referring to such structures in Varanasi.

Modi said the ambitious Sagarmala project would alone witness an investment of Rs 8 lakh crore and usher in port-led development. Highways network under the Bharatmala project is being laid in a massive way, he said.

"Eight highways in Gujarat, totaling 1,200 km, will be converted into National Highways at an investment of Rs 12,000 crore," the Prime Minister said.

"Clear vision, clear conscience and perfect policies" could usher the country on the path of development, he said adding Dahej alone has a potential to provide employment to 8 lakh people.

Lauding Road Minister Nitin Gadkari for augmenting highways network, the Prime Minister said road building pace has increased 11 times to 22 km a day in the present regime from a mere 2 km a day during the previous regime.

Modi said there was need for I-ways apart from highways and his government would lay a network of optical fibre in the country.

Criticising the slow pace of laying of optical fibres under the previous regime, the Prime Minister said sadly fibre network could be laid only in 59 villages as against their target of 1.25 lakh villages.

"The present government will lay optical fibre network in 2.5 lakh panchayats and work has been completed in 68,000 villages," he said.