Key Road and Infrastructure Decisions for Uttarakhand After CM Dhami's Meeting with Nitin Gadkari
Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari, in New Delhi on Thursday and urged for early approval of several road and infrastructure projects in Uttarakhand. The Chief Minister mentioned the significant increase in the number of tourists during the recent Char Dham Yatra and the growing traffic pressure on the state's roads. He emphasized that increasing the traffic-bearing capacity of roads and ensuring their proper maintenance is essential for regional connectivity, tourism, and economic progress. Hence, prompt approval of various priority projects of the state government is necessary.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister held detailed discussions with the Union Minister on various state projects. It was agreed to reimburse the pending amount under the Central Road Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) to Uttarakhand annually based on accrual.
A decision was also made to construct 26 km of elevated roads along the Bindal and Rispana rivers as a loop of National Highway-07. The land acquisition and forest land transfer for this project will be undertaken by the state government. With a construction cost of Rs. 6,164 crores, the state government will exempt SGST and royalty charges, and the remaining amount will be borne by the Government of India.
Similarly, for the realignment of National Highway-109 (formerly NH-87) due to the expansion of Pantnagar Airport, the central government will bear the additional cost of Rs. 183 crores if the state government exempts the SGST component.
The Union Minister also approved:
Construction of the Khatima Ring Road through NHAI.
Widening of NH-507 from km 12 to 40 (Barwala-Katapathar-Juddo-Lakhwar Bend division).
Widening of NH-534 from km 157 to 175 (Dugadda-Gumkhal division).
It was also decided that the forest land transfer work for the alternative alignment along the boundary of Rajaji National Park, as part of the first segment of the Rishikesh Bypass (Nepali Farm to Dhalwala), will be completed within the next three months. Following this, a decision will be made regarding this 10.88 km long project with an estimated cost of Rs. 1,546 crores.
Additionally, it was decided that the tender approval process for the Kedarnath Ropeway, to be constructed by National Highways and Logistics Management Limited (NHLML), will be carried out after consultation between the Chief Minister and the Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways.
Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Shri Ajay Tamta, Secretary of the Ministry Shri V. Umashankar, NHAI Member (Administration) Shri Vishal Chauhan, Uttarakhand's Principal Secretaries Shri R.K. Sudhans and Shri R. Meenakshi Sundaram, and Secretary Shri Pankaj Kumar Pandey also participated in the meeting.
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