VIJAYAWADA: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has promised to spend a minimum Rs 3 lakh crore for the development of road infrastructure in Andhra Pradesh by the end of 2024. Addressing a public meeting after virtually inaugurating and laying the foundation stone for 52 projects worth Rs 21,600 crore at a programme in the city on Thursday, he described AP as one of the progressive States that has to play a key role in the economic development of India.
Out of the 22 green expressways taken up by the Ministry of Road Transport, six are in AP, which will provide a vital link to national expressway infrastructure. The six expressways include Raipur - Visakhapatnam (465 km costing Rs 16,102 crore), Nagpur - Vijayawada (405 km costing Rs 15,000 crore), Hyderabad - Visakhapatnam, Bengaluru - Chennai passing through Chittoor district. Transport infrastructure is vital for the rapid growth of industrial and agricultural sectors, he said.
The Union Minister advised the AP government to focus on increasing exports and reducing imports, which will ensure creation of more employment. At the same time, he said ports and waterways, besides roadways, are the most critical components for economic development. The Centre, which firmly believes in Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Prayas, will support AP in every aspect, he assured.
Reducing logistics cost is key to bring down operational costs in every sector. Logistics cost in China is around 8-10%, in Europe and the US around 12%, but in India it is around 16-18%. “We accept this challenge and every effort will be made to bring down the logistics cost by 6%,” he said.
Advocating the use of economical fuel like LNG instead of diesel, and clean and green fuel, he said using sewage for power generation can be a revenue earner as showcased in Nagpur. Ethanol generated from broken rice and sugarcane waste can be a better alternative fuel and the flex engine concept is gaining popularity. “By generating our own fuel, we can reduce import costs,” he said.
He agreed to Jagan’s request for construction of a 40 km eastern bypass road to NH 16 with a bridge connecting Krishna and Guntur districts, which will help decongest traffic in Vijayawada. The Union Minister asked the government to provide land for the project to enable the Centre to take up the bypass road.
Jagan: Gadkari put nation on fast-track
Chief Minister Jagan praised Gadkari, who under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is playing a visionary role in improving national highways in the country. “He has put the nation on the fast track through FASTag,” he said. Under Gadkari’s leadership, the pace of national highway construction has increased from 12 km a day in 2014 to 37 km now. “Thanks to Gadkari, national highways in AP increased from 4,193 km in 2014 to 8,163 km, registering 95% growth,” he said. Gadkari sanctioned 30 ROBs, 10 more sought by Jagan, for AP
Logistics parks in Vizag and Anantapur
NH Logistics Management Limited (NHLML) will set up multimodal logistics parks in Visakhapatnam and Anantapur. An MoU to this effect was signed between the Andhra Pradesh government and NHLML in the presence of Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in Vijayawada on Thursday. The government will provide land as equity, while NHLML will make the investment on logistics parks. The project is expected to reduce freight and handling charges