BHOPAL: Awful state of roads was among the key factors, which prompted people to vote out the Digvijaya Singh-led Congress government after a stint of 10 years in power in 2003. Nineteen years later, the Union Minister for Road Transport and National Highways Nitin Gadkari has apologized to the people of the BJP-ruled central Indian state for faulty construction of Rs 400 crore worth of road stretch on the highway between Jabalpur and Mandla.
“I don’t hesitate in apologizing for the quality of work on the highway connecting Jabalpur and Mandla. I regret the quality of Rs 400 crore work done on the 63 km stretch of this project, between Barela and Mandla. The local MP and union minister Faggan Singh Kulaste too has been raising this issue regularly with me and I feel sorry, pained and also unsatisfied with the quality of work done on the concerned two lane road,” Gadkari said while addressing an event marking laying of foundation of multiple road projects
in Mandla district on Sunday evening.
“Before coming to this event, I’ve told the concerned officials to suspend the remaining work on the concerned road project with mutual consent, repair old work and issue fresh tenders to soon construct the road in the best possible manner,” Gadkari said.
Knowing the enormous tourist potential in the tribal dominated Mahakoshal region of MP, the union minister said, “I’ve talked to one of the NHAI members, who hails from MP only. Kanha National Park and Tiger Reserve has enormous tourist potential and needs to be connected through best roads. The Kanha National Park and districts of Balaghat, Seoni, Mandla and Jabalpur which connect with Nagpur will be included in the Gati Shakti Road Cluster project,” Gadkari maintained.
The Union Minister also announced approving 23 road overbridges (RoBs) worth over Rs 1600 crore for MP under the nationwide Setu Bharatam Project.