Trying to complete Chennai-Bengaluru greenfield expressway by December: Gadkari
The Hindu
Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari expects the Chennai-Bengaluru expressway to be completed by December, urging cooperation from Tamil Nadu and Kerala governments for construction materials.
Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said the Chennai-Bengaluru greenfield expressway was likely to be completed by December this year.
Responding to supplementaries in the Lok Sabha, Mr. Gadkari urged the governments of Tamil Nadu and Kerala to help the National Highway Authority of India in making available construction material such as aggregates and fly ash for the projects in the respective States.
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"I am giving confidence to the House... that we are trying our level best to complete the highway before December. The distance between Chennai and Bengaluru can be covered within two hours," the Minister said.
Mr. Gadkari said he had also spoken to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and conveyed to him the problems faced by the NHAI in the construction of highways in the State.
"I do not want to politicise the issue. But without getting aggregate, without getting all the things that we need for the road construction, how is it possible for us to complete the road," Mr. Gadkari said in response to a question raised by DMK member Dayanidhi Maran.
He expressed readiness to discuss the issue with the officers of the state government and officials of NHAI to find a solution to the problems in speeding up the project.