PANDARIA, Aug 12 IN A major infrastructure push set to transform road connectivity across central India, the JabalpurMandla-Chhattisgarh borderKawardha-Simga-Raipur corridor is set to be upgraded into a six-lane expressway, while the Centre has also cleared the Jabalpur-Bhopal Greenfield Expressway, significantly cutting travel time between Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Member of Parliament Santosh Pandey has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari for approving the projects. Pandey said that the government has approved a budget of Rs 15,000 crore for the project. The proposed expressway will connect Bhopal, Sagar, Damoh, Jabalpur and Mandla in Madhya Pradesh before entering Chhattisgarh through Chilphi Ghati and connecting Kawardha, Bemetara, Simga and Raipur.

 

The project is expected to significantly reduce travel time between the two States. The journey from Raipur to Bhopal, which currently takes around 14-15 hours, is expected to come down to six to seven hours. Similarly, travel between Jabalpur and Raipur, which currently takes around seven to eight hours, is expected to be reduced to approximately 3.5 to four hours once the proposed sixlane corridor is completed. Pandey said that the JabalpurChhattisgarh border-KawardhaRaipur highway would be upgraded into a six-lane expressway at an estimated cost of Rs 2,500 crore. The corridor is expected to strengthen one of the key commercial routes between Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, while also providing a boost to trade, tourism and regional connectivity. Santosh Pandey said that the inter-State corridor would become an important infrastructure link for central India. He added that the expansion of connectivity under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the guidance of Nitin Gadkari would give further momentum to the vision of a ‘Developed India’.