Kolkata, Sept. 16 -- PWD and PHE minister Ajay Poddar, speaking at an interaction at the Bharat Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, said he had recently discussed with Union Roads and Highways minister Nitin Gadkari the Centre's proposal to maintain state highways for better upkeep.
The minister said that they are planning to set up ring roads in Siliguri and Kolkata. For Kolkata, there are plans for two ring roads - one outer ring road and another inner ring road, and the two will cost around Rs 40,000 crore.
Discussions included setting up six tunnels between Kolkata and Varanasi. The PWD minister said that they are going to tie up with IIT Roorkee to design bridges - so there is no bridge collapse.
He said that waterways are going to be used better for easy communication.
The minister wanted better usage of the surface water too, and for this he plans to set up multiple check dams so that it can be used for drinking.
He said that the entire stretch of highway between Diamond Harbour and Siliguri is to be better maintained.
The minister said that by December 2028, drinking water would be available at all homes in the state, and for it they are planning to set up a deadline of Sept 2028.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.