Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Uttarakhand where he laid the foundation stone of Char Dham highway development project in Dehradun. Addressing a public rally on the occasion, PM Modi said his government has only one agenda and that is development and termed demonetization drive as a ‘safai abhiyan’.
“I don’t make false promises, I remember what I say,” Modi said launching the BJP’s campaign for the next year’s assembly polls in the hilly state.
The Chardham Mahamarg Vikas Pariyojna, or the Chardham highway development project, is an ambitious initiative to improve connectivity to the Char Dham pilgrimage centres in the Himalayas.
The project’s main objective is to develop around 900 km of national highways. These highways will be built in Uttarakhand at an approximate cost of Rs. 12,000 crore.
PM Modi said, “I assure you that whenever you will come for Kedarnath, Badrinath yatra, you will remember this government and Nitin ji like Shravan is remembered.”
“I can clearly see that Uttarakhand cannot wait any longer for the development,” he said.
Commenting on demonetisation, Modi said the government is fighting against those who stash black money at home.
“We had said the corrupt will be punished and this is happening too. This is a ‘Safai Abhiyaan‘ and people of India have helped me,” he added.
“This is the first time in country’s history that people were raising slogans in Parliament to save the corrupt,” said PM Modi.
As stated by PM Modi, the project will make travel to the Char Dham (Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath) safer and more convenient.
The project involves widening the existing, geometrically deficient highway that connects the four abodes. Apart from widening, the road transport and highways ministry plans to improve the stretches to two-lane carriageway with paved shoulders, protect landslide hazard zones, construct bypasses, long bridges, tunnels and elevated corridors to ensure safety for the users.
A team of experts is already on the job to identify zones that are prone to landslides. Environment friendly techniques are being incorporated in the design to make these zones safer.
