BJP leaders hail sanction of highways

Tribune News Service

Shimla, April 19

The state BJP leaders thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and JP Nadda for sanctioning projects for five national highways and three more national highways and industrial corridors.

“The projects will help in improving road connectivity in the state, especially in border areas,” said state BJP president Satpal Singh Satti, party general secretaries Bipin Parmar, Rajiv Bindal and Randhir Sharma and spokesman Ganesh Dutt in a joint statement yesterday.

The BJP leaders also thanked the NDA government for sanctioning the Kolar-Bilaspur-Kala Amb, Shalaghat-Ramsahar-Nalagarh roads, industrial corridors and the Chamuna-Holi tunnel.

They said these would boost the industrial and economic activities in the state and reduce the distance between Kangra and Bharmaur.

An immediate release of Rs 40 crore for the repair works on the Swarghat-Kiratpur road and Rs 200 crore for the Baddi-Nalagarh road would help in reducing traffic hassles, they said.

The BJP leaders said recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission gave Rs 40,625 crore as revenue deficit grant and Rs 350 crore for the expansion of the rail network.

“This indicates that the NDA government led by Narendra Modi is liberal in helping Himachal and considers the state as his second home,” they added.

They said the BJP government had always worked for the interest of the state unlike the UPA government.

The NDA government gave industrial package to Himachal for 10 years in January 2003, but the UPA government curtailed it after coming to power and hampered industrial growth, they alleged.

Meanwhile, CPS Rohit Thakur welcomed the announcement of making the Theog-Hatkoti national highway and said Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh presented the case in the right perspective, following which the decision was taken.