Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping, Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said that the Central Government is spending about Rs20,000 crore in the road sector in the Northeastern States this year. He said that two major problems for road infrastructure development in the northeast is delay in land acquisition and forest and environment clearance. “I have appealed the state governments in the region to expedite the process of land acquisition process and forest and environment clearance. This will help us,” he said.
Gadkari also asked the state governments to identify the economically important roads of the state. “If the state government gives us a proposal and ensure land acquisition and environment clearance, the Central Government can bear the construction cost and declare those as national highways and ensure its maintenance,” said the Union Minister. He said that the Ministry is also laying stress on inland water transport in the Northeast.
“The inland water tansport in Northeastern States like Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland and Mizoram will be developed,” he said. He also said that his Ministry will also develop a dry dock at Pandu in Guwahati and said that the government had sanctioned Rs50 crore for this. “Ship building and repairing activities will be started there,” he said adding that a high level jetty will also be built at Pandu. Giving statistics, Gadkari said, “We are constructing 12 kms of roads per day now and we hope to construct 30 ks of roads per day after two years,” said the Minister.