Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai met with Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to discuss significant infrastructure projects aimed at enhancing connectivity and promoting economic growth in the state. During the meeting, the chief minister proposed new national highway projects, emphasising the importance of increasing direct connectivity to tribal areas and Ayodhya. Minister Gadkari gave necessary instructions to the concerned department officials for swift action.
At the meeting held at Minister Gadkari's residence, Chief Minister Sai highlighted the urgent need to expand the national highway network in Chhattisgarh to connect remote tribal areas with major economic centres. The discussions included Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao, Chhattisgarh Finance Minister OP Chaudhary, Secretary to the Chief Minister P Dayanand, Public Works Department Secretary Kamalpreet Singh, and other officials from both state and central governments.
Currently, Chhattisgarh has 20 national highways spanning a total length of 3,575 km. The chief minister stressed the necessity of declaring additional roads as national highways and upgrading existing routes to further the state's social and economic development. He noted that Chhattisgarh has sent proposals for 13 projects worth Rs. 1,383 crore to the Ministry under the Central Road Fund for the year 2024-25 and sought timely approval for these projects.
Proposed National Highway Projects:
Raigarh-Dharamjaygarh-Mainpat Ambikapur-Uttar Pradesh Border:
The proposed 282-kilometer route starts from Raigarh (NH-49), connects Mainpat, Ambikapur (NH-43) via Dharamjaygarh, and reaches the Uttar Pradesh border via Wadrafnagar. This route will facilitate the transportation of coal and other mining ores and connect Chhattisgarh with the religious city of Ayodhya.
Kawardha-Rajnandgaon-Bhanupratappur-Antagarh-Narayanpur-Gidam-Dantewada-Sukma:
Spanning 482 kilometres, this route connects six national highways and links five district headquarters. It aims to improve connectivity in tribal-dominated areas and potentially reduce Naxal activities by enhancing accessibility to Bastar's iron ore mines.
The chief minister also proposed the declaration of the 11-km bypass road connecting NH-53 to NH-30 as a national highway. He highlighted the strategic importance of transforming Raipur city's ring road into a fully integrated national highway by connecting NH 53, 130B, and 30.
Other proposals included the four-lane widening from Katghora to Ambikapur on National Highway No. 130, the construction of grade separators at key junctions for safe traffic, and making the Raipur-Balodabazar-Saranggarh road a four-lane highway in the annual plan 2024-25. The chief minister requested approval for grade separators at Sirsa Gate and Khursipar Junction on Raipur-Durg NH 53.
In a significant development, the chief minister informed the union minister about Chhattisgarh hosting the 83rd annual session of the Indian Road Congress (IRC) in Raipur in November 2024, and invited him to inaugurate the event. Minister Gadkari assured all possible cooperation to strengthen the road infrastructure in Chhattisgarh.
