A cross-border road, part of the Kaladan Multi-Modal
Transit Transport Project (KMTTP), connecting south Mizoram’s Lawngtlai
district with Myanmar’s Sittwe port, will be completed by November this year,
announced Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
Gadkari was addressing a rally in West Phaileng, Dampa
Assembly constituency, located in west Mizoram’s Mamit district bordering
Bangladesh.
He said the 26-kilometer road, worth around Rs 1,132
crore, under the Kaladan project will be completed by November and it will be
helpful to connect Myanmar’s Sittwe port.
Gadkari, who serves as the Union Road Transport and
Highways Minister, said infrastructure and communication have to be developed
to bring all-round development.
He noted good infrastructure brings investment in
industry and agriculture, and subsequently it generates employments and eradicate
poverty, the basic principle behind development.
The Union Minister addressing the rally for the
Mizoram Assembly elections scheduled for November 7, announced an important road
project costing Rs 20,000 crore.
This project will connect Mizoram with the
neighbouring States of Nagaland and Manipur in the Northeastern region, as well
as with the international boundary of Myanmar.
He said when he assumed the role of Road Transport
Minister in 2014, the total length of national highways in Bharat was 986 km.
By 2023, this figure has risen to 1,478 km, pointing towards a significant
expansion and development of the national highway network during his tenure.
Gadkari further said about 355 km of road
construction, costing Rs 8,000 crore, has been finished in Mizoram after he
took charge of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
Besides, a 373-km road project between Aizawl and
Tuipang in the southern part of the State would be completed by June next year.
The Union Minister said the Rs 7,361 crore project
aims to link six districts of Mizoram, including Aizawl and Serchhip, and Myanmar.
This connectivity is expected to boost the economy, trade, and generate
employment opportunities in the region.
The Centre will build Aizawl bypass road at the cost
of Rs 2,500 crore to solve traffic snarl in the State capital, he said, adding the
project, which covers a length of 35 km and 2.5 km of tunnel, is scheduled to
be completed by December 2025.
He attributed the delay in the construction of the
four-lane Silchar to Vairengte-Sairang road (NH-306) to the State Government’s “failure
to provide land” due to problems between the Revenue and Forest departments.
The Centre under the leadership of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and the BJP with its president JP Nadda will “transform Mizoram
into one of the developed States in the country” if the party is voted to power
or becomes part of the next government in the State, he said.
“The BJP does not believe in discrimination on the
basis of caste, creed and sex, and the NDA Government at the Centre is
committed to developing the country,” he added.
NE Watch Desk
