Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari announced on Wednesday that the government will invest Rs 3 lakh crore to transform Assam’s national highways into a network rivaling those in the United States. Speaking during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Gadkari outlined ambitious plans to bolster Assam’s infrastructure with roads, bridges, and tunnels, signaling a major push for development in the northeast under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
“I am confident that after making all this road, we will make the national highway of Assam equivalent to the USA,” Gadkari declared, emphasizing that the ministry faces no funding shortages for its projects. Among the flagship initiatives, he highlighted the Rs 5,800 crore Guwahati Ring Road, slated for completion by December 2027, and a Rs 12,000 crore tunnel under the Brahmaputra River in Dibrugarh, which is nearing sanction. These projects, he said, will reshape Assam’s transport landscape, spurring jobs, wealth creation, and regional progress.
Gadkari also addressed the long-delayed elevated highway over Kaziranga National Park, assuring that work will begin soon after Cabinet approval. “We don’t have any fund problem,” he stressed, citing the ministry’s strong standing in the capital market. The government’s focus on the northeast, he added, reflects a broader commitment to infrastructure as a driver of national growth.
The minister’s remarks came amid a lively exchange in the Rajya Sabha. Responding to Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge’s query on connectivity between Gulbarga and Bengaluru, Gadkari touted the Modi government’s road-building record in Karnataka since 2014, while acknowledging hurdles like land acquisition and environmental clearances. He invited Kharge to submit a list of pending projects, promising swift action, and refuted claims that highway numbering files reach the Prime Minister’s Office, asserting his department’s autonomy.
In a lighter moment, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar made a personal appeal to Gadkari, requesting a national highway link for his native Tithana village in Haryana to ease travel to Delhi. Gadkari promptly agreed, drawing a rare bipartisan nod.
The Rs 3 lakh crore plan for Assam underscores the government’s aggressive infrastructure agenda, with the northeast emerging as a priority zone. As projects like the Guwahati Ring Road and Brahmaputra tunnel take shape, the region could see a dramatic uplift—if execution matches the minister’s bold vision.