Gadkari unveils highway projects worth Rs 4K cr

Bhubaneswar: Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday unveiled 19 national highway projects worth Rs 4,137 crore in Odisha. At a function held at Baramunda Maidan in Bhubaneswar, Gadkari laid the foundation stones for 17 projects and inaugurated sections of two highways.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, deputy chief ministers Pravati Parida and K V Singh Deo, MPs, MLAs and ministers were present at the programme. Gadkari laid the foundation stones for 13 national highway projects worth Rs 2,905 crore. As a part of these projects, new roads will be built and existing roads will be widened in Khurda, Puri, Ganjam, Kandhamal and Nayagarh districts. A total of 105 km of roads will be constructed.
He also laid the foundation stones for four bridges worth Rs 427 crore. These bridges, having a combined length of 4.82 km, will be built on Berhampur-Gopalpur and Rourkela-Biramitrapur highways under the Central Road Infrastructure Fund. Gadkari also inaugurated two sections of NH-59 and NH-130CD. The combined length of the two sections is 44 km, and has been built at Rs 841 crore.
Earlier, Gadkari addressed a memorial lecture on ‘Infrastructure Development and Odisha’ during a national conference held on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary celebration of former chief minister Harekrushna Mahatab at Ravenshaw University in Cuttack. Gadkari said Mahatab’s vision shaped Odisha.
Praising the vision of the former chief minister, who was also a freedom fighter, Gadkari said, “You can donate eyes but not vision. Mahatab ji had a vision that shaped Odisha.”
Gadkari said Mahatab’s contributions to Odisha’s identity and development remain unmatched. He noted Mahatab’s contribution towards the construction of Hirakud Dam, the foundation of which was laid by first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1948 and inaugurated by him in 1957.
Describing Mahatab as a multifaceted personality, Gadkari said he was a scholar, writer, poet and social reformer who championed educational advancement and social equity in the State.
Gadkari, who hails from Maharashtra, noted that Mahatab, during his imprisonment in the western State, authored the book ‘History of Odisha’. Urging youth to take a leaf from Mahatab’s life, Gadkari said, “It’s not how long we live, but what we do that defines us. Let’s work to make Odisha a leading light of India’s growth.”
“I reaffirm to our youth that we have the strength to become ‘Vishwaguru’ (world leader),” he said. Chief Minister Majhi, Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj and Mahatab’s son and MP Bhartruhari Mahtab attended the function.