Nitin Gadkari, Stalin faceoff over 'bureaucratic' hurdles in highway projects

Road Transport Minister, NItin Gadkari's remarks at a public event on January 21 have snowballed into a full-fledged controversy between him and Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin. 2 days after Gadkari claimed that NHAI was facing major problems in Tamil Nadu and sought Stalin's interference in the matter, the Tamil Nadu chief minister has responded. In a detailed letter, Stalin claimed that he was surprised by the remarks of Nitin Gadkari as his state was prioritising all highway projects and was working 24/7 to resolve all issues. Stalin, in the letter, said NHAI projects have been given high importance in his administration due to the realisation over significance of road connectivity for an industrialized state like Tamil Nadu. “I have given specific instructions to all departments to give top priority to NHAI projects. Many of the current issues causing project delays are legacy issues of the past decade and my teams of officers under the Chief Secretary are putting their best efforts to sort them out at the earliest,” Stalin told Gadkari.