Poll-bound state gets major share in NH projects

New Delhi, Feb 1 : Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday proposed the construction of 8,500 km highway by March 2022.

Four poll-bound states -- Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Assam -- got a major chunk of the proposed new highway projects.

Assembly elections in these four states along with Puducherry will be held later this year.Presenting the Budget on Monday, Sitharaman proposed 3,500 km of highway in Tamil Nadu at an investment of Rs 1.03 lakh crore, and 1,100 km of highway in Kerala at an investment of Rs 65,000 crore.For West Bengal, where the BJP is fighting a high octane battle to dislodge the Mamata Banerjee-led government, the Finance Minister proposed 675 km of national highway at a cost of Rs 95,000 crore.

For Assam, Sitharaman proposed 1,300 km of highway to be constructed in the next three years.The Finance Minister said that highway infra work proposed in the Union Budget includes building of 8,500 km of highways by March 2022.