Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced new projects worth Rs 7,000 crore for Uttar Pradesh. He also said that by 2024, the road infrastructure of the state will be at par with that of the US, according to an official statement by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Gadkari inaugurated the 81st session of the Indian Road Congress (IRC) here and said that a total of Rs 5 lakh crore will be invested on roads in Uttar Pradesh before 2024, an official release said.

Stating that a gift of Rs 7,000 crore is being given to Uttar Pradesh, he said this includes the Shahabad bypass-Hardoi bypass of Rs 1,212 crore, Shahjahanpur to Shahabad bypass of Rs 950 crore, Moradabad to Kashipur National Highway ( Rs 2,007 crore), 13 railway over bridges ( Rs 1,000 crore), among others.

“By 2024, the road infrastructure of Uttar Pradesh will be at par with that of America,” he added.

Speaking about the Indian economy, Gadkari said that for achieving the target of $5 trillion economy, as directed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the road network is most important.

Gadkari stressed that along with the economy, attention must also be paid to the environment, hence, he appealed to the people to use CNG, ethenol, methanol and electric vehicles instead of diesel and petrol vehicles, which according to him, will also make fares cheaper.