Law Notify : Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister and Public Works Minister Arun Sao met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi on Wednesday and urged him to approve several key road infrastructure projects proposed by the state government.
During the meeting, Arun Sao requested approval for the construction of a bypass in Bilaspur to ease growing traffic congestion, sanctioning of a six-lane access-controlled road from Raipur (Arang) to Bilaspur (Darri) under the Bharatmala project, and extension of the Mumbai–Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway up to Raipur.
He also sought financial approval for the upgradation of 13 existing national highways in the state and urged that eight important roads be declared as new national highways to support Chhattisgarh’s economic and social development.
Briefing the Union Minister on Bilaspur’s traffic situation, Arun Sao said rapid population growth and a rising number of vehicles have led to frequent traffic jams in the city. To address this, the state has proposed a 32-kilometre four-lane bypass, to be developed by the National Highways Authority of India, running from the High Court area in Bodri to Sendri outside the city. The bypass would provide direct connectivity between the Raipur–Bilaspur National Highway and the proposed transport nagar and logistics park, while significantly reducing urban traffic pressure and supporting planned urban and industrial growth.
Highlighting Chhattisgarh’s mineral-rich profile, Arun Sao emphasized the need to extend the Mumbai–Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway to Raipur as a greenfield corridor. He said the state’s coal mines in the north and iron ore mines in the south require efficient logistics for the movement of coal, iron ore, steel, and cement products. An eight-lane, access-controlled Raipur–Nagpur–Mumbai connectivity would substantially boost industrial activity and improve overall mobility in the state.
Under the Bharatmala Pariyojana, Arun Sao requested approval for the construction of a nearly 95-kilometre-long six-lane road from Arang near Raipur to Darri near Bilaspur. He noted that although Raipur and Bilaspur are already connected by a national highway, the absence of access control prevents seamless integration between the state’s three Bharatmala corridors. The proposed Arang–Darri road would reduce travel time between Raipur and Bilaspur to about one hour and allow direct interlinking of the Bharatmala routes, resulting in significant savings of time, cost, and fuel.
