Roads to play important role in infrastructure development: Kamal Nath

New Delhi, July 30 (ANI): Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Kamal Nath on Thursday said that roads would play an important role in infrastructure development in the next decade.

During a seminar at Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI), Kamal Nath said that roads are important as they provide domestic economic stimulus.

"I see the next decade as the decade of infrastructure and when we talk of infrastructure, road components are perhaps one of the most important because when we talk of roads, we are not merely talking of connectivity we talk of it in terms of a domestic economic stimulus," said Kamal Nath.

Government has geared up to launch one of the biggest highways development programme in the country.

National Highways Development Programme would be stepped up so as to achieve the target of 7000 kilometres per year.

He further declared that bids worth 1,000 billion rupees would be invited for the road project this year.

"We are going to invite bids of 1,000 billion rupees this year for about 12,000 kilometres this year. You have got to have those bids, you got to have work happening on the ground. You got to have work in progress to be able to achieve it. That is what we want," he added.

However, he clarified that the projects will not begin until 80 per cent land is acquired.

The government has set up an ambitious target of building 20 kilometres of roads per day. (ANI)