Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari on Thursday inaugurated various national highway projects in Himachal Pradesh which include nine road corridors covering 222 kilometres to be built with an outlay of Rs 6,155 crore.

Addressing the event, Gadkari said that these road projects will ensure prosperity for the people of Himachal Pradesh. The Minister promised that road travel time from Delhi to Kullu will be reduced to just seven hours within two years or even before.

Gadkari said that work related to construction of 11 more tunnels will soon be awarded in Himachal Pradesh. The Minister said that the Government has accorded top priority to Manali – Leh tunnel construction.

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The Minister said that road construction works with an outlay of around Rs.15 lakh crore are planned this year, across the country. Gadkari said that the process related to land acquisition and environment clearance needs to be speeded up to be able to complete the road construction on time.

The Minister also announced that works related to 491-kilometre long road construction in Himachal Pradesh with a total cost of Rs.15 thousand crore would be awarded in the year 2021-22. The Minister said that the possibility of a network of ropeway and cable car in Himachal Pradesh may be explored.

On the occasion, HP Chief Minister Jairam Thakur said that good quality roads and connectivity is the top priority for the state government and thanked Union Minister Nitin Gadkari for these road projects and expressed hope that these will further pave the way for development of the state.