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Namaskara!
On this happy occasion, I
convey my greetings to the people of Karnataka. For
me this is a very important visit to your great
State. Our UPA government has been working very hard
in Delhi over the last two years to promote the
development of Karnataka and I am happy that many of
these projects are finally taking off. I could not
land in Mangalore yesterday for laying the
foundation stone of a major petrochemical complex.
But it will be done soon and work will begin without
any delay. Today, work on two more important
projects will begin. Each of these projects will
generate new employment, both for urban and rural
youth, and will bring in new investment into
Karnataka.
Today, I am happy to lay
the foundation stone for the construction of an
elevated highway connecting Bangalore with the
Electronic City. I compliment my esteemed colleagues
Thiru T R Baalu and Shri Muniyappa for the special
interest they have taken in getting this project
going.
This highway is in fact,
a symbol of what Bangalore has come to represent.
You are on the highway of rapid progress in our
country, while many other regions continue to remain
behind, moving slowly. It is through your success,
your hard work, your creativity and enterprise that
you inspire all of us to dream of a better future.
Today, we need this
elevated highway above so that those who function in
a fast moving and rapidly growing economy can keep
pace with the competition they face. I am sure a day
will come when every highway and road will enable
faster movement. The dualism that this project
represents is a transitory phenomenon of
development. In time, we want an India in which
every one of us can move along the same highway.
That is my dream.
The urban landscape of
India is changing rapidly. In a few years, almost
40% of our population will be residing in urban
areas. These urban areas must be seen as engines of
growth, as places where there are economies of scale
and scope and hence, as hubs of economic, commercial
and social activity. As the benefits of urbanization
spread into rural areas, and as rural development
itself brings urban facilities to rural areas, the
nature of commuting between town and country will
change.
Today, we see poor people
from villages coming into cities for work. Tomorrow,
we could see economically better off persons living
in rural areas commuting to the city for pleasure
rather than business. We could see increased demand
for better quality public transport between town and
country. We will certainly see greater demand for
connectivity between production centers and markets.
We will also see greater demand for rapid transport
between urban centers closely located. Our existing
road system does not as yet cater to these kinds of
demand. We must, therefore, strengthen these links
between urban and rural areas, as well as between
cities in close proximity. This is extremely
important if the benefits of development have to
move beyond the limited confines of cities to our
vast hinterland; so that the millions of toiling
farmers can also become partners in progress.
Some people wrongly pose
the question of development as a conflict between
city and village. This is a false notion. No country
can develop if its villages do not develop. Mahatma
Gandhi told us all, very wisely and sagely, that
India lives in its villages. So it does today. So,
when we seek the modernization of our economy, when
we seek development for our people, when we seek to
build an industrialized country, when we seek to
create a knowledge economy – all of this must
benefit both town and country, both city and
village. And it can. And roads and highways are the
means to achieving it.
The Central Government
has taken many initiatives in providing world class
road connectivity around Bangalore. We are six
laning the Bangalore-Nelamangala stretch of NH-4,
including a 4 km. long elevated corridor. We are
four laning the Bangalore-Devanahalli section of
NH-7 with some parts being six laned. And the
Bangalore-Kolar section of NH-4 is being four laned.
These projects will greatly facilitate travel to and
from Bangalore.
The UPA Government has
speeded up the construction and development of
National Highways in the country. The entire
programme has been expanded and funding has been
steeply increased. We now have a road programme
under NHDP costing over Rs 2,20,000 crores to be
completed in the next 7 to 8 years.
The National Highway
Development Project which had two phases has been
expanded to seven phases covering most parts of the
country. To the NHDP I and II, we have added NHDP
III under which 11,000 km of high traffic density
highways connecting State capitals and important
centers of tourism and economic activity are being
developed. And most importantly, these are being
developed largely through a Public Private
Partnership mode. The investment on this Phase will
be Rs.55,000 crore. It will be our endeavour to
complete the ongoing projects expeditiously. I urge
the ministry of surface transport and the NHAI to
work with renewed vigor and commitment to deliver on
their assurances to the people of the nation.
I want the NHAI to
function like any modern corporate organization.
With a focus on efficiency, on competence, on
transparency and, above all, on customer
satisfaction.
In addition, we will be
six-laning the Golden Quadrilateral; improving
20,000 km of 2-lane highways; developing 1000 km of
access controlled expressways; and constructing
bypasses and ring roads in and around important
cities. I must say that all this has been possible
in a short time frame because we have adopted new
ways of functioning; a new approach to attracting
private investment; and a new system of contracting
where efficiency and economy are rewarded.
We want to tap private
sector funds for development of infrastructure as
well as harness its efficiency for ensuring quality
and timely delivery of projects. Our experience with
PPP has been very encouraging. We are quite
confident that we will generate adequate public and
private resources for this vast enterprise. I look
forward to the day when the face of this nation will
be changed by a dense network of world class
highways, reaching out to the farthest corners of
the country.
The country is witnessing
a road revolution, in the same manner as we had seen
the green revolution and the white revolution in the
past. Improved highways mean higher travel speeds
and greater risk to the road users as well as the
communities living close by. I am sorry to say that
our record in highway safety leaves much to be
desired. Nearly one lakh people are getting killed
in road accidents every year. We have to reverse
this trend. We have to make road safety awareness,
both in urban areas and on national highways, a
major national campaign.
People must learn road
manners. How to give way to pedestrians, how to
observe normal rules while overtaking, how to park
and when not to blow a horn. These are simple rules,
but their observance makes a lot of difference to
our daily lives. We Indians behave with great
courtesy at home and with our family and friends.
But, sometimes, when we go out we leave these good
manners at home. On the road we lose control of our
good senses. Why should this be so?
I think we must ask
ourselves why can’t we be more polite to each other,
more caring of each other, more respectful of each
other. Building modern roads and driving modern cars
is not the end all and be all of progress. Good road
manners and adherence to road discipline are equally
important!
Bangalore is a global
brand. People in the rest of the world know more
about Bangalore than they do about India. It is the
warmth and the gentle hospitality of the Kannada
people that has made your state so popular with
investors from across the world. You have become the
symbol of a new India, an India on the move, rising
to fulfill its destiny on the global stage. The
success of the IT revolution in Karnataka has placed
it on the world map. This is not an isolated success
of a few people who work behind walls and inside
air-conditioned rooms. This success has been made
possible by the toil and commitment of millions of
people. Above all, it has been made possible by your
warm hospitality. Investors come from across the
world to Bangalore, because Kannadigas are so
gracious, so gentle, so talented, so
forward-looking.
My sincere advise to you
would be that you must jealously preserve this great
asset – your hospitality. This is what makes
Karnataka one of our most modern States. You have
great potential and a great future. I urge you to
seize the opportunity with both your hands. What
Bangalore has done over the past decade, the rest of
Karnataka should do over the next decade. Become
home to enterprise, to talent, to creativity and the
spirit of adventure.
I must compliment the
efforts of all those who have brought this Elevated
Highway project to a stage when the construction can
immediately begin. I believe that special attention
has been paid to ensure that construction activity
does not disrupt traffic flow on the highway. I
understand that modern technology will be used for
construction and that safety during construction
will be closely monitored and coordinated. This
speaks of a good approach to project implementation.
I wish every participant in the project success in
his endeavours.
I compliment the
concessionaire company that has undertaken this work
for showing faith in the PPP system. I wish them
success in completion of the project on time. I wish
you all the best in all your future endeavours.
New Delhi,
June 24, 2006 |
