KOCHI: Presenting a status report of the progress of the national highway development projects in Kerala, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said on Friday that the six-laning of NH 66 will transform the landscape of Kerala and reduce the travel time from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram from 17 hours to 7 hours.
“It will be a big boost for Kerala’s tourism and industrial development and we are working very fast to complete the project within the deadline. The target is to complete the project by December 2025,” he said while dedicating five completed projects and laying the foundation stone for seven projects worth Rs 1,464 crore on Friday.
The minister apologised for not being present at the function as he could not reach Kerala as the flight was delayed due to a technical problem. “Kerala attracts tourists from across the world. We need good road infrastructure to attract tourists. So, we are planning to implement road development projects to the tune of Rs 1.5 lakh crore in the state by the end of 2024. We have 38 upcoming projects worth Rs 80,000 crore to develop a 1,397 km road. As many as 27 projects worth Rs 60,000 crore covering a distance of 849 km are under various stages of implementation. We have already completed 53 projects covering a distance of 818 km spending Rs 7,374 crore,” he said.
Sharing memories of his visit to Munnar seven years ago, the minister said he wanted to visit the hill station and enjoy the scenic beauty of the newly completed Munnar- Bodimettu Road. Union Minister V Muraleedharan, Public Works Minister Mohamed Riyas and MPs Dean Kuriakose and Rajmohan Unnithan attended the meeting.