New Delhi: A few weeks after the Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari declared the coastal road connecting Odisha with West Bengal as a National Highway (NH), the Centre today approved the alignment of 550 km Digha-Gopalpur NH.
Making the revelation on his Twitter handle, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, “Grateful to Hon'ble PM & @nitin_gadkari Ji for approving the alignment of 550 KM Digha-Gopalpur NH in Odisha.”
In another Tweet, Pradhan stated, “The ball has been set rolling for preparation of the Detailed Project Report(DPR) in consultation with the State Government."
“The proposed road will pave the way for a new economic architecture of the state. It will boost tourism and facilitate coastal development,” he hoped.
Hinting that Gadkari has promised finalization of another 2,500 km road in consultation with all the stakeholders, Pradhan said “These roads will provide connectivity in the Naxal affected tribal regions & will help curb the menace by boosting economic activities.”
Notably, during his Odisha visit earlier this month, Gadkari had announced a Rs 5,000 crore investment for improvement of the road between Gopalpur (Odisha) and Digha in West Bengal.