Chief Minister Raghubar Das, on Sunday, requested Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, to move the construction of roads from Dhanbad to Raipur and Sambalpur to Ranchi from medium priority to high priority projects.
The stretch of 707 kilometres from Dhanbad in Jharkhand to Raipur in Chhattisgarh and 323 kilometres from Sambalpur in Odisha to Ranchi are a part of the Bharatmala Pariyojana. The Bharatmala project focuses on bridging critical infrastructural gaps through innovations like development of economic corridors, inter corridors, boarder and international connectivity roads, green-field expressways and others.
He also requested Gadkari to include the 790 kilometres stretch from Sahibgunj to Dhamra Port in Odisha, a four lane road, in the Bharatmala project, to develop it as an economic corridor. Das said, "This is an important route to link north eastern States with Jharkhand and Odisha from and economic point of view."
During the meeting, the CM also informed Gadkari about the progress of various ongoing road and highway projects of Jharkhand.
Das was in Delhi on Sunday, meeting various union ministers.
Apart from Gadkari, he also met Thawar Chand Gehlot, Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment and congratulated him. Das said to Gehlot, "Jharkhand is playing an important role in the formation of New India under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. With your support we would move at a faster pace towards achieving the aim."
Das also met Union Minister of Railways and Commerce, Piyush Goyal, on Sunday.