NEW DELHI: The highway connecting the north-southern corridor and Cochin Port, developed at a cost of Rs 571 crore, has enhanced the mobility of eight seashore villages and has significantly contributed to the socio-economic development of the region, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has said. About 8.7 km-long stretch, built on reclaimed land, passes through the backwaters of the Arabian Sea.
The minister in a series of tweets said coastal and port connectivity infrastructure plays a pivotal role in a nation’s economic growth. In Kerala, a four-lane NH has been developed at a total cost of Rs 571 crores to connect International Container Transhipment Terminal (Vallarpadam) with Kalamassery and it links the North-South Corridor for freight movement to Cochin Port, he said. In separate tweets, he informed about construction of a 14.71km-long four-lane highway from Dimapur to Kohima at estimated cost of Rs 339.55 crore.