Wednesday, 05 January 2022| PNS | Dehradun
Union minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari said that pilgrims will be able to travel to Kailash Mansarovar by road, adding that the government will build the road within the next one year. Gadkari said this while addressing the gathering at the conclusion of Bharatiya Janata Party’s Vijay Sankalp Yatra in Khatima on Tuesday.
Gadkari said that Khatima will be more important in the coming time from the tourism perspective and will be on the globoal map. Stating that those undertaking Kailash Mansarovar Yatra go by this route, he assured that within one year the people will be able to reach Kailash Mansarovar by road. Stating that Tanakpur to Pithoragarh connectivity has been facilitated, he said that construction of road from Pithoragarh to Lipulekh is underway. This 376 kilometre road costing Rs 5,000 crore will enable access to Kailash Mansarovar.He said, “After I was allocated the Road Transport and Highways ministry under PM Narendra Modi’s leadership, I had decided to allocate Rs two lakh crore to Uttarakhand. The development you have seen so far is just a trailer, the movie is yet to start. From 2014 to 2021, we built 2,100 kilometres of new roads. By 2024, work on 2,500 kilometres of roads will be completed which will conclude works worth Rs two lakh crore.” The union minister spoke in detail about various road works completed and underway in the state. He also announced that from Pilibhit road to Tanakpur Road, a bypass will be constructed in addition to a new greenfield bypass from Najibabad to Afzalgarh, another bypass from Haldwani to Kathgodam and Lalkuan and the Haldwani-Gwaldam Road will also be constructed.
Appreciating chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, he said that he is smart is his work. Gadkari said that construction of roads will enable the state to further strengthen its special identity in the tourism sector.Speaking on the occasion, chief minister Dhami referred to Gadkari as a person who had brought about a revolution in the area of road connectivity. He spoke in detail about the works being undertaken by the government in the state. The Union minister of State for Defence, Ajay Bhatt and BJP State president Madan Kaushik also expressed their views on the occasion. Cabinet minister Yatishwaranand, MP Locket Chatterjee and other public representatives were also present on the occasion.
