Union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari on Thursday directed the National Highways Authority of India to take over the widening work on NH-58 that connects Dehradun to Haridwar. The minister also released Rs 280 crore for the project which has been seven years in the pipeline.
Former Uttarakhand CM and current Haridwar MP Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’said that the private firm which was widening the highway has been asked to hand over the project to NHAI. Work on widening the highway began in 2010. The 80-km stretch was to be developed at the cost of Rs 1,600 crore.
Pokhriyal said, “I have been raising the issue of shoddy quality of work and the delay in completion of the project by the firm. On Thursday, I was informed that now NHAI would complete the project.” Pokhriyal added that construction of the highway was top priority for NHAI and the body is expected to complete the work in “record time”.