Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday dedicated the 246 km Delhi– Dausa– Lalsot section of the Delhi Mumbai Expressway to the nation and underlined that this is one of the most advanced expressways in the world which presents a grand picture of developing India.
He also laid the foundation stone for 247 km of National Highway projects to be developed at a cost of over ₹5,940 crore.
“When such modern roads, railway stations, railway tracks, Metro and airports are constructed, the country’s development gets momentum,” he said.
The PM emphasised on the building of excellent road infrastructure as an engine of growth, development and connectivity in New India is being realised by the construction of a number of ongoing world-class Expressways across the country.
Also Read: PM Modi inaugurates Dayanand Saraswati’s 200th birth anniversary celebrations
He also highlighted the multiplier effect of the investment on infrastructure. “For the last 9 years, the central government is also continuously making huge investments in infrastructure”, PM Modi remarked as he noted investments worth more than 50,000 crores for the construction of highways in Rajasthan.
He continued that in this year’s budget, 10 lakh crores for infrastructure was allocated which is five times more than the allocation in 2014. He underlined that the poor and middle class from Rajasthan will greatly benefit from these investments. The PM also underscored the benefits of investment in infrastructure on the economy and said that it creates employment and connectivity
“When investments are made in highways, railways, ports, airports, optical fibres, digital connectivity, construction of pucca houses and colleges, every section of the society gets empowered,” said Modi.
Elaborating on another benefit of infrastructure, the PM said that economic activities are getting. He said with the construction of the Delhi– Dausa– Lalsot highway, the travel time between Delhi and Jaipur will be reduced drastically.
The PM said that along the Expressway Grameen Haats are being established that will help the local farmers and artisans. He underlined that the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway will benefit Rajasthan along with many areas of Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat and Maharashtra. “Tourism spots like Sariska, Keoladeo National Park, Ranthambore and Jaipur will draw huge benefits from the highway”, he said.
Also Read: Delhi-Mumbai Expressway route, budget: 10 things to know
Speaking about the three other projects, PM Modi said that one of them will give Jaipur direct connectivity with the expressway. The second project will connect the expressway with Ambala- Kotputli corridor near Alwar. This will help vehicles coming from Haryana, Punjab, Himachal and Jammu Kashmir to travel to Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Lalsot Karoli road will also connect the region with the Expressway.
“The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor are going to become two strong pillars of progress for Rajasthan,” said Modi.
He noted that these two projects will strengthen the Mumbai-Delhi economic corridor and the road and freight corridor will connect many regions of Rajasthan, Haryana and Western India with ports. He said that it will create new opportunities for logistics, storage, transport and other industries as well.
Highlighting that the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is powered by the PM Gati Shakti Masterplan, Modi informed that arrangements have been made to lay optical fibre, electricity lines and gas pipelines, and the leftover land will be used for producing solar energy as well as warehousing purposes. “These efforts will save the nation a lot of money in the future”, the PM remarked.
Concluding the address, PM Modi highlighted the mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ for Rajasthan and the county, and said, “The government’s resolve is to make a competent, capable and prosperous India.”
Also Read: Stalin writes to Nitin Gadkari on poor road condition in Chennai. Says this…
Speaking on the occasion, union minister for road, transport and highways Nitin Gadkari said by the end of 2024, every effort will be made to make the country’s road infrastructure at par with America. “We will try to make India’s highway at par with America’s,” he said.
He said, “The Prime Minister has talked about making India self-reliant and especially the infrastructure of international standard, which he had repeatedly put in front of us as a goal. We believe that before the end of 2024 under the guidance of the Prime Minister, we will try our best to make India’s road infrastructure at par with America.”