Modi unveils project to make highways free of rail crossings
Girja Shankar Kaura
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, March 4
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the Rs 50,800-crore Setu Bharatam project to make national highways free from railway-level crossings by 2019 to ensure safety.
He said, “A good infrastructure network is vital for the growth and development of a nation.”
The Prime Minister said for satisfying aspirations and needs of people, it was necessary to bring in a qualitative change and a comprehensive and integrated approach in developing infrastructure.
Under the project, 208 railway crossings will be replaced by rail overbridges (ROBs) by 2019 at an estimate cost of Rs 20,800 crore. Besides, Rs 30,000 crore will be spent to overhaul 1500 old and worn-down bridges in a phased manner.
Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, presented at the project launch, said the ministry had already launched an Indian Bridge Management System to map 1,50,000 bridges across the country.
The system is aimed at carrying out condition surveys and inventorisation of all bridges on national highways in India by using Mobile Inspection Units. Inventorisation of 50,000 bridges has been done to date. The first cycle of the survey is expected to be completed by June, 2016.
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