Union Minister of State for Road, Transport and Highways & Corporate Affairs, Shri Harsh Malhotra, today laid the foundation stone for 5 vehicular underpasses – Baghnath, Ken Union Chowk, Fazilnagar, Salemgarh and Patheria in Kushinagar with the Hon'ble Minister of State for Rural Development in Uttar Pradesh Government, Smt Vijay Lakshmi Gautam, Hon'ble Member of Parliament, Kushinagar, Shri Vijay Kumar Dubey, MLA; Shri Mohan Verma, MLA; Dr Asim Kumar, MLA; Shri Surender Kumar Kushwaha and MLC Dr Ratan Pal Singh along with National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials.

The vehicular underpasses, which were envisioned as an important step towards decongestion and reducing road casualties are being developed at an estimated total cost of Rs. 111 crores with a combined length of 5.4 km and are scheduled to be completed by end of 2026.

Hon'ble Minister highlighted that the projects would be a stepping stone for prosperity in the region which would not only ensure road safety, but would significantly contribute to the region and propel social and economic wellbeing.

Shri Malhotra further said that these underpasses will solve the problem of traffic congestion in the city as well as reduce the number of accidents. Travel will be safer and save time and fuel, which will help reduce pollution in the area.

Shri Harsh Malhotra highlighted that under the visionary leadership of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, India has now the second largest road network and the National Highway (NH) network has grown by 60%, rising from 91,287 km in 2014 to 1,46,195 km.  Shri Malhotra also said that over 4300 km of national highways have been developed in Uttar Pradesh in the last decade making it the second largest National Highway state in the country

The Minister of State, Shri Harsh Malhotra also inspected 75 km Gorakhpur Ring Road, en route to Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh which is being built at an estimated cost of Rs 1780 crores. The officials briefed the Minister about the remaining 26 km portion of the project. Shri Malhotra directed the officials to expedite the remaining project so that it could be opened for the general public as per the schedule

Shri Harsh Malhotra also reviewed the ongoing NHAI projects of eastern Uttar Pradesh. Hon'ble Minister stated that under the able leadership of Shri Narendra Modi ji and guidance of Shri Nitin Gadkari ji, Vikas and Virasat are being carried out simultaneously and all religious places such as Ayodhya, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj, Chitrakoot, Varanasi are being interconnected through these highways and the four Ring Roads in Gorakhpur, Ayodhya, Varanasi and Prayagraj would be instrumental in decongesting the vehicular traffic in these cities. Shri Malhotra directed the officials for expediting the ongoing projects.

Shri Harsh Malhotra further said that public infrastructure is the backbone of economic development, enhancing connectivity, trade, and overall quality of life. India, the world's fifth-largest economy, has made remarkable progress in infrastructure development over the past decade and every rupee spent on infrastructure has a multiplier effect of 3.2 times in the GDP of the nation.

National Highway stretches with four or more lanes grew 2.6 times from 18,371 km in 2014 to 48,422 km in 2024, while the National Highway construction pace rose by 2.8 times from 12.1 km/day in 2014-15 to 33.8 km/day in 2023-24.

Shri Malhotra mentioned the various initiatives undertaken by the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways, viz., ‘Cashless Golden Hour’ scheme for road accident victims under which they will be entitled to cashless treatment of a maximum amount of ₹1.5 lakh per accident per person, ‘Good Samaritans’ schemes where people who help the road accident victims are rewarded with  a cash prize of Rs 25,000, ‘Abhay Sarathi’ programme  for truck drivers welfare where they are provided with medical checkups, ‘Rajmarg’ and ‘Sukhadh’ apps which provide real time updates on national highways.

Hon'ble Minister Shri Harsh Malhotra said that the infrastructure development is not just limited to roads but would lay foundation for transformation of India into an economic powerhouse and subsequently be a key parameter towards Viksit Bharat.

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GDH/HR

(Release ID: 2130031)