CM Dhami urges early approval of road, infrastructure projects in Uttarakhand during meeting with Gadkari
Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari, in New Delhi on Thursday and urged for early approval of several road and infrastructure projects in Uttarakhand.
The Chief Minister mentioned the significant increase in the number of tourists during the recent Char Dham Yatra and the growing traffic pressure on the state's roads. He emphasized that increasing the traffic-bearing capacity of roads and ensuring their proper maintenance is essential for regional connectivity, tourism, and economic progress. Hence, prompt approval of various priority projects of the state government is necessary.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister held detailed discussions with the Union Minister on various state projects. It was agreed to reimburse the pending amount under the Central Road Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) to Uttarakhand annually based on accrual.
A decision was also made to construct 26 km of elevated roads along the Bindal and Rispana rivers as a loop of National Highway-07. The land acquisition and forest land transfer for this project will be undertaken by the state government. With a construction cost of Rs. 6,164 crores, the state government will exempt SGST and royalty charges, and the remaining amount will be borne by the Government of India.
Similarly, for the realignment of National Highway-109 (formerly NH-87) due to the expansion of Pantnagar Airport, the central government will bear the additional cost of Rs. 183 crores if the state government exempts the SGST component.
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