During the inauguration of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot once again requested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi issue a gazette notification soon declaring 50 roads in the state as national highways. According to Gehlot, the NHAI is preparing the DPR for the Jaipur Ring Road, the Jodhpur Elevated Road, the Lalsot-Pachpadra Road, and the Hanumangarh-Sadhuwali Road, and construction should begin soon. The chief minister stated that with the development of the Pachpadra refinery and the construction of the Amritsar-Jamnagar Expressway, traffic pressure from Jodhpur to Pachpadra will increase. As a result, a 6-lane road should be built to connect Jodhpur and the Pachpadra refinery to the Amritsar-Jamnagar Expressway. In order to provide water to the general public in a timely way, he also urged that the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) be designated as a national project. In 13 districts of Rajasthan, the availability of water is crucial for irrigation and drinking purposes. With its resources, the state government is advancing the ERCP project. The CM also praised the expressway's and four national highways' efforts. He participated at the ceremony through video conference from his official address. He said that in addition to building new roads, the state administration is also improving the state's existing roadways. 54,000km of roads have been built in the last four years, and another 46,000km are currently being built. These projects would speed up the economic and industrial growth of Rajasthan. According to Gehlot, over Rs 200 billion have been set aside in this year's budget for the construction of roads and other infrastructure, “Industrial development has been good only due to better road connectivity in Rajasthan, and the state ranks second in the country with GDP growth rate of 11.04%. He said development in the state will increase with the signing of MoUs and LoIs worth Rs 11 lakh crore in Invest Rajasthan. See also: Rajasthan clears Rs 42.80 bn for 16 state highways Rajasthan’s Gehlot okays Rs 1.19 bn for roads in state