PM Narendra Modi dedicated the project to those killed during Uttarakhand flash floods in 2013
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday laid the foundation stone for the 900km Char Dham highway project in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The Char Dham Highway will cost the exchequer Rs 12,000 crore and the all-weather road will improve connectivity between Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. PM Modi also said that
the highway project will put Uttarakhand's economy, which is dependent on tourism - particularly religious toruism, back on track after the 2013 flash floods. Over 5,000 people were killed during the flash floods that ravaged the Kedarnath Valley in June 2013.
"This Char Dham project is a tribute to those who lost their lives during the Uttarakhand flash floods,"
PM Modi said.
"Earlier, pilgrims had to worry about getting stranded due to landslides and they would be anxious about the uncertainties. But, with this project, all the uncertainties will be gone and the pilgrims' mind will be free from all worries," he said.
"This project will provide livelihood to the people, boost tourism and thus jack up the economy of the state. Tourism is the biggest asset of Uttarakhand. If facilities are provided, then which family in the country would not want to come here," asked PM Modi while addressing the crowd at 'Parivartan Maharally' at the Parade Ground in Dehradun after the foundation stone-laying ceremony.
The Char Dham highway project involves building tunnels, viaducts, bridges and bypasses in the entire state, along with way-side amenities that will include helipad for emergency evacuation and parking facilities, among others.
The Prime Minister said that he wanted to help Uttarakhand reach new heights of development so that the lack of job opportunities does not force youths to leave the state.
"There is an old saying in the hills of Uttrarakhand which means the waterbodies and youths of the mountains are not able to serve the land where they originate. I have decided to prove this wrong", he said, adding "I want to take Uttarakhand to new peaks of development where people are not forced by circumstances to leave their homes in the Himalayas and spend their lives in the dirty streets of cities in search of work".
PM Modi also promised that he was going to drag Uttarakhand out of the "bottomless pit of corruption in which it was languishing under the present regime". The Prime Minister said the state needs a double-engine, one at the Centre and the other in the state capital to pull it out of its misery.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the steps taken by his government to provide free LPG connections to poor BPL households and helping women lead a healthy smoke-free life in the remote hill areas of the Uttarakhand.
He also spoke of what he had done for the implementation of OROP and his
campaign against corruption and black money. PM Modi also sought the blessings of the people of the state in his fight against corruption.
(with inputs from agencies)