Nadda urges Gadkari to expedite road restoration in Himachal Pradesh

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda today urged the Centre to expedite restoration of roads damaged in the monsoons in Himachal.

Nadda, who met Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkar in Delhi today, sought assistance for undertaking repair and restoration of the damaged roads in Himachal during the monsoons. Rajya Sabha MP Harsh Mahajan also accompanied Nadda at the meeting.

Gadkari assured Nadda of full cooperation from the Union Government.

Nadda said the Union Minister had assured him that the repair of all roads that had suffered damages would be undertaken on a war footing. “From the manner in which the minister presented the vision of the Central Government regarding the use of latest technology for road construction, tunnels and bridges in Himachal Pradesh, it seems the state is bound to benefit immensely,” he said.

Nadda said the slow pace of development in the rural areas of Himachal Pradesh would now get accelerated. “The Central Government has approved a material budget of Rs 201 crore in the first phase to the state under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Now with this amount, small and big works under the MGNREGA at the panchayat level will be accelerated,” he said.

Nadda said that Himachal Pradesh was continuously receiving funds from the Central Government under the NDRF and the SDRF and more than Rs 5,000 crore had been given to the hill state. “The Centre has always helped Himachal and come to the rescue of the state in times of need. In the aftermath of the 2023 monsoon, which caused huge devastation in Kullu-Manali, the Centre provided Himachal Rs 3,146-crore assistance,” he said.

Nadda said even now, the Central Government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had released Rs 2,006 crore for Himachal Pradesh under the NDRF, which raised the total assistance to Rs 5,152 crore.           

Himachal Tribune