Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari announced nine new road projects worth Rs 30,000 crore at the Rising Rajasthan Global Investment Summit in Jaipur on Monday. The projects cover a stretch of 800 km and improve connectivity, cut down travel time, and promote economic growth of the state.
Some of the Major Road Projects in Rajasthan:
Nitin Gadkari spoke about nine projects that will prepare the road infrastructure in Rajasthan. These would look towards greater connectivity between the city hubs. They would then have optimized transport logistics and consequently improve the economy of the country as well. There were mainly four projects, those being:
Northern Jaipur Ring Road: 110 km-long with an estimated cost of Rs 6,500 crore is to be developed as a bypass road passing over the city of Jaipur, which will decongest this city. The flow of traffic along the northern ring road would improve immensely and consequently, lots of travel time will be saved.
Kotputli-Agra Greenfield Expressway: The Kotputli-Agra Greenfield Expressway would cost around Rs 6,800 crore. It would join Kotputli and Agra directly and streamline commodity and passenger traffic between the two towns. This could be done by September itself.
Jaipur-Kishangarh-Jodhpur to Amritsar Highway: This is one of the most ambitious, with an outlay of Rs 12,000 crore. The highway will connect main cities and strengthen trade routes of the region. Detailed Project Report for this highway is being prepared and the construction is expected to begin soon.
Six Other Infrastructure Projects: These are smaller but equally important projects that will further contribute to Rajasthan’s road network development.
These road upgrading works will not only increase transport efficiency but also facilitate trade and tourism in Rajasthan. It will stimulate investment in agriculture, mining and manufacturing industries with the boost in logistics and connectivity.
Economic Gains and Farmer support
Gadkari elaborated on the potential economic impacts of the road projects for the rural population, while infrastructure is very much a need of growth for the road projects. He especially underlined the land value effect, which is the benefits for land prices.
The road projects always result in fivefold upgradation of land prices when these projects are executed; therefore, Gadkari said that the government in Rajasthan should give 40% of the developed adjacent land to farmers who benefit in terms of economic output of agriculture in the villages from such a project.
This can help the government improve the livelihood of the farmers while enhancing agricultural development in the region. The idea suggested by Gadkari fits well within the broader framework of inclusive economic growth that should involve both urban and rural people.
Progress on Project Timelines and Development
Gadkari presented a schedule of timelines for many major projects. Kotputli-Agra Greenfield Expressway would likely get completed by September; such expressways are critical and, for the State of Rajasthan, will mark an important milestone for road infrastructure development.
Another is Jaipur-Kishangarh-Jodhpur to Amritsar Highway in which the DPR was underway to finalize. On getting implemented, it will take several years, but its benefits will come along way.
Other Than Road Infrastructure: It will discuss the future of agriculture in the state. Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was on stage talking about government efforts in sustainable farming practice in the state. A push from Centre in the direction of mechanized farming is going to sort the issue of labour scarcity while efforts towards less usage of chemical fertilizers would lead to the practice of more environmentally friendly agriculture practices.
Chouhan also emphasized the Centre’s commitment to rural development through the construction of 341,620 houses under the PM Awas Yojana (Grameen) at a cost of Rs 4,099 crore. This will improve the housing conditions of rural families and contribute to overall rural development in Rajasthan.
Conclusion
Nitin Gadkari has launched nine significant road projects worth Rs 30,000 crore in Rajasthan. These would result in connectivity improvement in the entire state, boost the economic scenario, help the farming community, and uplift the standard of living for residents. This is reflective of the vision of transforming Rajasthan into an important trading as well as farming center in India by developing the infrastructure and sustainable farming techniques.
At the end of the Rising Rajasthan Global Investment Summit, these roads and agricultural projects will help chart the future of the state.
Refer :
Business-Standard, Link to article
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