The Union minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid foundation stones for 38 national highway projects for Uttarakhand worth Rs 6,972 crore  in two separate programmes held in Tanakpur and Haridwar on Tuesday. In Tanakpur, the minister laid foundation stones for eight national highway projects worth Rs 2,217 crore in. Speaking on the occasion, he said that widening of Kathgodam to Nainital road with two-lane paved shoulders will improve connectivity to Nainital – Manaskhand temples. The four-lane widening of Kashipur to Ramnagar road will make it easier for tourists to reach Corbett national park and Manaskhand temples. The two-lane widening of Kangarchina to Almora road will not only increase the number of tourists going to Bageshwar but will also save their time. The two-lane widening and rehabilitation of Kanda Marg from Udiyari Bend on national highway 309A will facilitate access to Bagnath and Baijnath temples in Bageshwar. Also, the difficult journey from Bageshwar to Pithoragarh will be better, safer and time saving. Gadkari said with the aim of creating excellent infrastructure in Uttarakhand, the focus is not only on roads and highways works but also on the safety of the travellers. He said repair work of two bridges on Saryu and Gomati rivers in Bageshwar district is also being done at a cost of Rs five crore. These projects will not only benefit the tourists but will also make commuting easier for the locals. In Haridwar, Gadkari inaugurated and laid foundation stones of 30 national highway projects worth Rs 4,755 crore. The projects inaugurated include widening of two-lane paved shoulder from Lameri to Karnprayag in Rudraprayag and Chamoli and Dudhdhari elevated flyover in Haridwar. These projects will not only ease transportation but will also provide better connectivity from Rishikesh to the India-China border region. The flyover will provide relief from traffic jams in pilgrimage city Haridwar and make it easier to reach other religious sites.The Union minister said that Uttarakhand will achieve a faster pace of development with the construction of 28 projects whose foundation stones were laid on Tuesday. The journey of devotees on Char Dham routes will be eased and connectivity of Uttarakhand with other States will increase, accelerating economic and social development, he said. Accompanying Gadkari in both the events, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami thanked the Union minister and stressed that strengthening the connectivity in Uttarakhand is a priority of the State government. Stating that roads facilitate development, he said that these projects will help Uttarakhand achieve its vision of becoming a model State. The manner in which roads are being constructed in Uttarakhand under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Gadkaris leadership is unprecedented. The CM said that recently he had reviewed the status of all under construction and proposed works in the State. The status of all development works in the State is satisfactory and it is expected that all the projects will be completed on time, Dhami said.

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