Congress laid foundation of road network: Cong MP

But this expansion did not happen overnight.

The previous UPA governments laid the foundation of developing road connectivity in the country, which has led to its road network becoming the second largest globally, Congress Lok Sabha member M K Vishnu Prasad said on Monday.

Participating in the discussion on the 'Demands for Grants of Road Transport and Highways Ministry for 2022-23' in the House, Prasad sought to know from the government the reason for the escalation in the allocation to about Rs 2 lakh crore.

''The treasury benches are very proud of the 63.5 lakh km of road coverage which is the second-longest globally after the US. But this expansion did not happen overnight. It was the previous Congress governments under (Jawaharlal) Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi, which laid the foundation and that is why today India has the second largest road network,'' he said.

Questioning the 68 percent hike in allocation to the road transport and highways ministry for the next fiscal, Prasad said the quality of the road is pathetic and only Rs 356 crore has been allocated towards road safety.

BJP MP from Arunachal Pradesh Tapir Gao hailed road construction under the Modi government and said top car companies, including Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes, and Lamborghini, now participate in car rallies because of good roads in the state.

''The road network has even reached Kalapani (in Uttarakhand). Like Spider-Man's web, Nitin Gadkari to is putting in place a network of road connectivity,'' Gao said.

Margani Bharat (YSRCP) said that the government should distribute to states the funds collected from levying cess on petrol and diesel and called for a stringent law to check road accidents.