States with rural networks must get more funds: Modi

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has demanded that states that have spent huge amounts for setting up rural road networks must be given more funds for repairing and upgrading their rural road network.

"Gujarat is among the top few states, with a rural road connectivity of 98 per cent. The state government has spent a huge amount of money on rural connectivity. But, over a period of time, even rural roads get worn out and there is an ever increasing demand for better roads in rural areas," the chief minister said.

Modi was speaking after the inauguration of the Ahmedabad-Vadodara expressway at Vadodara on Tuesday.

Modi said that several roads and bridges had been badly affected in the recent spell of torrential rains in several parts of Gujarat.

"I even spoke to the Prime Minister and other ministers about the issue. Gujarat had received good support for the development of roads from the NDA government. We expect the present UPA government to be equally supportive," he stated.

T R Baalu, Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, said the Union government will not go slow on the Golden Quadrilateral project, a project that is considered to be a dream project of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

"The project will go on as per schedule. There might be a delay of a couple of months, but it is being pursued with all vigour," the minister said.

Baalu said that while the Golden Quadrilateral and the East-West Corridor projects will take care of 14,000 kilometres of the total 65,000 kilometres of national highways in the country, the remaining around 50,000 kilometres will require to be converted into four-lane and six-lane roads.

"The new transport policy will look at all options, including using the BOT model for upgrading these highways, apart from central funding," Baalu said.

Baalu denied the chief minister's allegations that the central government was not being supportive to Gujarat as far as national highways are concerned.

He said a team had carried out a survey of the damaged roads after the spate of rains and he had immediately sanctioned Rs 5 crore for repairs.

Modi, Vaghela share dais after 8 years

Chief minister Narendra Modi and his former colleague turned bitter rival Shankersinh Vaghela, who is now Union textiles minister, shared a dias after close to eight years, in Vadodara, on Tuesday. And while Vaghela was subdued in addressing Modi, the chief minister surely did not disappoint those gathered.

Addressing Vaghela as a `vadil mitra' (an elderly friend), Narendra Modi went on with his speech. Referring to the country having ignored infrastructure projects for long, Modi said: "Main aur Vaghelaji ek hi biradari se pale badhe hain" (Me and Vaghela have grown up in the same environment), obviously referring to the days when both Modi and Vaghela were in the Sangh Parivar.

Vaghela, along with his supporters, broke out from the BJP after a major revolt in the state unit. He later formed a separate political outfit called the Rashtriya Janata Party before merging the party with the Congress.