Water scarcity is a major problem in Maharashtra`s Latur and elected representatives must take all efforts to come up with a solution, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said on Friday, reported the PTI.

Nitin Gadkari was speaking at an event in Ahmedpur where he had visited for inauguration and launching of nine projects in Dharashiv and Latur districts, as per the PTI.

These comprise six highway projects costing Rs 3,946 crore in Latur and three costing Rs 122 crore in Dharashiv.

“Water scarcity is a key problem of Latur. Elected representatives must take up issues related to it on priority. While coming here, I saw a river that had gone completely dry. If embankments or small weirs were made with empty fertiliser bags, it would have supplied water all day to nearby wells,” he pointed out, according to the PTI.

Latur is known for its soybean cultivation and good roads will help farmers take the produce to markets easily, he said.

The projects that were inaugurated include the four laning of Chakur-Ausa and Chakur-Loha sections.

The length of the national highway in Latur was 124 kilometres till 2014, while it was now 510 kilometres, he said.

Thirteen works costing Rs 7,520 crore had been completed in the district, while four with a length of 90 kilometres was underway, he said.

Meanwhile, last week, Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 28 national highway (NH) projects worth Rs 6,600 crore in Odisha. Though his visit to Odisha was cancelled at the last minute, Gadkari launched these projects virtually. Union Minister of Railways, Ashvini Vaishnaw was also present at the event. 

Among the inaugurated projects were a 79km four-lane road between Baharagora and Singhara on NH-49, valued at Rs 1,203 crore, and a 78km six-lane road from Chandikhol to Bhadrak on NH-16, costing Rs 2,035 crore. Additionally, the minister laid the foundation stones for 26 other road infrastructure projects in the state.

During the event, Gadkari highlighted the significant progress in national highway development in Odisha since 2014. The total length of national highways in the state has increased from 4,639 km to 5,753 km during this period. The ministry has allocated nearly Rs 1.50 lakh-crore for highway development in Odisha, he added.

(with PTI inputs)

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