Gwalior, Sep 15 (PTI) Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said the Gwalior-Chambal region of Madhya Pradesh would develop and travel time to Mumbai and Delhi would be just a few hours after the upcoming Atal Progressway and Mumbai-Delhi Expressway get linked.

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He was speaking at an event where projects worth Rs 1,125 crore were either dedicated or their foundation stones laid. It was attended by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as well as Union Ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Jyotiraditya Scindia.

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The 415-kilometre Atal Progressway. which is being built between Etawah in Uttar Pradesh and Kota in Rajasthan at a cost of Rs 20,000 crore, will ensure the development of backward regions of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways said.

The second-phase of Morena Link Road to Rani Laxmibai Samadhi will also begin with the first phase of the project, and it will be developed with new technology from Malaysia, Gadkari said, adding that the state government must give relaxation in Goods and Services Tax on cement, steel etc that will be used.

"This elevated corridor will have a glimpse of Gwalior's history. A 1.5 km long ropeway from Phoolbagh in the city to the Gwalior fort will be built at an estimated cost of Rs 120 crore. There are plans to construct ropeways in places like Ujjain, Khandwa, Raisen, Durg, Rani Roopmati Mahal in Mandu and Omkareshwar," Gadkari said.

He said an 87-kilometre greenfield highway will be constructed between Gwalior and Agra at a cost of Rs 2,500 crore and it will connect to the Yamuna Expressway there.

Once it is constructed, the travelling time between Gwalior and Delhi will be only three hours, and people will not need to take flights to reach the national capital, the Union minister said.

"The construction of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is almost 70 per cent complete. One it is commissioned, the travel time between the two megacities will be 12 hours," he said.

He advised the Madhya Pradesh government to develop education hub, food parks, entertainment parks and industrial parks to ensure the fast development of the region.

On the occasion, Gadkari also recalled his association with late rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia and former prime minister Atal Bihar Vajpayee.

"As a minister in Maharashtra I had ensured the construction of Worli Sealink and 55 flyovers. At the time, then PM (Vajpayee) called me and directed to formulate a scheme to connect villages. This resulted in the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojna," he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Tomar said three kilometres of highways were being built per day before 2014, while the figure was 38 kilometres per day now.

Scindia said Gwalior will be developed as a modern city and will not have shortage of basic facilities in the next 50 years due to the cooperation of the Centre and the MP government.

CM Chouhan assured all help from his government for the development of Gwalior, including construction of flyovers and elevated corridors.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)