Shillong, December 16 (Hindustan Times): In a significant development in the context of China’s road building activity and digging in at Doklam on the Bhutan-Tibet border, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced Rs 9000 crore (US$ 1.4 billion) for improving roads and national highways in the Northeast in the next two to three years to facilitate better connectivity.
The Prime Minister said this while dedicating a 271-km two-lane national highway connecting Tura in western Meghalaya and Shillong.
Meghalaya was the second stop of the prime minister after Mizoram during his day-long visit to the Northeastern region today.
“Over the next 2-3 years, an investment of about Rs 60,000 crore is proposed under the Special Accelerated Road Development Project (SARDP) in the Northeast and an investment of Rs 30,000 crore under Bharatmala is proposed for development of national highways in northeastern states,” Modi said while addressing a BJP rally here.
The Prime Minister said that over 1,200 km of NH was constructed at an expenditure of nearly Rs 14,000 crore during the last three years alone.
(The featured picture at the top shows a road in the Indian North East)
