Nitin Gadkari

Lucknow : Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday made a strong pitch for fast-paced laying of roads, saying that if the six lakh villages in the country are linked with strong and robust roads, the GDP will grow by Rs 1.10 lakh crore.

Road construction creates jobs, fast tracks the economy and can be a great vehicle in ending the scourge of poverty in the country, Gadkari said at a two-day seminar here on use of new technologies for improving roads in the country.

Deputy Chief Minister and the Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said that all the roads in the state now on will be two-lanes and new techniques would be assimilated in road construction so as to ensure their longevity.

The new roads, which will be built using new techniques, will include the Rs 300 crore Dostinagar bypass in Unnao, Rs 277 crore Palio-Lucknow road in Hardoi, Rs 342 crore Bilrayan-Panwari road in Sitapur among others, he said.

Many experts who made innovations in road construction techniques were also felicitated on the occasion by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Gadkari.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is slated to be present in the closing ceremony of the two-day event on Saturday.

—IANS