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Nitin Gadkari a great example of how people’s rep can work for India’s development: Sharad Pawar
NCP chief Sharad Pawar lavished praise on union minister for transport and highways Nitin Gadkari when the duo shared the dais at a function in Ahmednagar on Saturday
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar lavished praise on union minister for transport and highways Nitin Gadkari when the duo shared the dais at a function in Ahmednagar on Saturday.
Speaking about the implementation of various public infrastructure projects, Pawar lauded Gadkari for effectively using power to carry out development. “I am attending this function because I was told that Gadkari is going to inaugurate many projects in Ahmednagar, which will solve long-pending issues of the city and that he wants me to be present,” Pawar said during the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the infrastructure projects.
The NCP chief said that while many projects lie on paper even after the stone-laying ceremony, “When it comes to Gadkari’s projects, one sees the work starting within a few days of the function. Gadkari is a great example of how a people’s representative can work for the development of the country.”
“I remember that before Gadkari took over the portfolio of road transport and highways, about 5,000 km of work had been done. But after he took over, the figure has crossed 12,000 km,” Pawar said.
Although Pawar and Gadkari share good relations, their parties have been political rivals in Maharashtra for the longest time.
In his address, Gadkari said that his ministry is ready to fund various road-related projects provided the Maharashtra government takes responsibility for providing land. “Wherever the government will take responsibility to provide land, our ministry will bear the financial burden of executing the project,” he said.
Gadkari reiterated about the proposed greenfield Surat-Nashik-Ahmednagar-Solapur highway that will later connect to the southern regions of the country. “The distance between Delhi and Chennai is 1,600km. But by initiating the Surat-Nashik-Ahmednagar-Solapur route, the total distance will be reduced by 330km to 1,270km,” he said. The cost of the project is Rs50,000 crore and an around 481km stretch will pass through Maharashtra, Gadkari informed. “This route will be access control and complete greenfield corridor,” he said.
Gadkari appealed to the Maharashtra government to hand over government-owned land along this new corridor to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). “We will develop industrial facilities and other infrastructure projects alongside. They will be growth engines and generate employment,” he said.
Meanwhile, the union minister also said that the government has decided to increase ethanol blending up to 20% in petrol. “I have instructed all vehicle manufacturing companies to build hybrid flex-fuel engines in vehicles which will work completely either on ethanol or electric. Very soon, the transport ministry will issue the order for the same.” Gadkari cited the example of Brazil saying that the country is using ethanol in vehicles and aeroplanes. “We too are planning to go towards green fuel. If farmers generate fuel, our money will be saved on importing petrol. Even this will bring prosperity to farmers.”
