CHENNAI: Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation three National Highway projects worth over 2,000 crore rupees in Puducherry. The Minister dedicated to the nation the 38-kilometre-long four-lane Puducherry-Poondiyankuppam section of NH-32, built at a cost of 1,588 crore rupees. He also laid the foundation stone for the construction of a 3.88-kilometre elevated corridor between Indira Gandhi Square and Rajiv Gandhi Square on NH-32 with an outlay of 436 crore rupees. In addition, the foundation stone for the improvement works of a 13.63-kilometre stretch of the East Coast Road (NH-332A) with an investment of 25 crore rupees was also laid. Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Dr. L. Murugan, Puducherry Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan, Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, Speaker R. Selvam, Ministers, Members of Parliament, Members of Legislative Assembly and senior officials attended the event.
The improved road network will offer better connectivity for pilgrims visiting the Manakula Vinayagar Temple, Natarajar Temple, Navagraha Temples, and Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Motorists travelling from Viluppuram towards Cuddalore, Chidambaram, and Nagapattinam will now be able to bypass the busy Puducherry town, saving approximately 50 minutes of travel time.
Overall, these projects will provide a substantial boost to tourism and trade in the Union Territory, while ensuring seamless travel to key destinations such as Auroville and Pichavaram, thereby strengthening Puducherry’s position as a vibrant hub of culture, commerce, and connectivity.
Nitin Gadkari emphasized the importance of infrastructure development for national prosperity, recalling John F. Kennedy’s statement that “America is rich because American roads are good.” He noted that since 2014, under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Government of India has prioritized infrastructure development.
Highlighting achievements in the sector, the Minister stated that India’s National Highway network has become one of the largest in the world. He stressed on adopting innovation, science, technology, and best global practices, underscoring the philosophy that “no material is waste and no person is waste,” and announced initiatives to use municipal waste for road construction.
The Minister informed that 80 lakh tonnes of municipal waste have already been used in road projects, including in Delhi, where the height of the Ghazipur waste mound was reduced by 7 metres. He reiterated the government’s commitment to environmental protection and sustainable infrastructure.
He highlighted ongoing efforts to create lakes using National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) resources, which help in water conservation and improve water storage capacity.
The Minister noted that India’s economy is currently the fourth largest in the world and reiterated the Prime Minister’s vision to make India the third largest global economy. He pointed out the need to diversify agriculture into the energy and power sectors and cited successful examples of biofuel and ethanol-based technologies.
He mentioned that tractors and other farm machinery are being adapted to run on ethanol, CNG, or electricity, potentially saving farmers up to Rs. 1.5 lakh annually. The Minister added that electric mobility and alternative fuels would play a vital role in reducing logistics costs and increasing export competitiveness.
Citing reports from IIT Chennai, IIT Kanpur, and IIM Bangalore, he informed that India’s logistics cost has reduced from 16% to 10%, with a target to bring it down to single digit by December.
The Minister highlighted that India now ranks third globally in automobile manufacturing, with the industry valued at Rs. 22 lakh crore, generating 4.5 crore jobs and significant GST revenue.
The minister also announced the approval for new projects including:
Four-lane elevated corridor (3 km) connecting Natesan Nagar to Marapalam Junction and four-lane Ariyankuppam to Mullodai section (13.5 km) at a total cost of Rs. 650 crore.
Four-lane Marakkanam–Puducherry section of NH 332A (46 km) costing Rs. 2,200 crore.
Six-lane elevated corridor from Madurai to Sriperumbudur on NH 48 (8 km) costing Rs. 1,600 crore.
Strengthening of NH 32 section in Karaikal district (22 km) costing Rs. 60 crore.
Six-lane elevated corridor from KCBT Bus Terminal to Mahindra City at Chengalpattu on NH 32 costing Rs. 3,000 crore.
He further informed that Rs. 25,000 crore worth of NH projects have been planned for Puducherry, out of which projects worth Rs. 3,100 crore (85 km) are completed, Rs. 11,000 crore (200 km) are ongoing, and Rs. 10,300 crore (103 km) are in the pipeline.
The Minister also announced Rs. 100 crore under the Setu Bandhan Scheme for construction of small bridges.
He assured that all projects would maintain transparency, timeliness, and quality, emphasizing a zero-tolerance policy toward corruption and poor workmanship.
