Union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari made a major announcement pertaining to the road infrastructure of Siliguri, one of the key strategic locations of the country, on Saturday.

In his official Twitter handle, Gadkari said that his ministry had allocated around Rs 1,000 crore for the construction of a four/six-lane road along National Highway 31 that connected the northwest and northeast ends of Siliguri.

The stretch passing through Darjeeling More, the principal entry point of the city, is a two-lane highway now and is one of the congested stretches of the national highway. Siliguri residents have long been demanding that the stretch be widened for smoother movement of traffic.

“The ministry has sanctioned a sum of Rs 995.04 crore for the construction of a four/six lane road with service roads from Shivmandir, where the Asian Highway II connects NH 31, and up till Sevoke army cantonment,” Gadkari tweeted in Hindi.

Altogether, it is a 13km stretch that connects the Balason river bridge — from where the Asian Highway–II takes a southward turn — with the Sevoke military station.

Darjeeling BJP MP Raju Bista had earlier mentioned that the Centre was keen on developing this portion of NH-31 into a four-lane highway.

“However, a confirmation from none other than the Union minister that funds have been allotted for the project is something that we have been waiting for years,” said Soumen Nag, a social researcher based in Siliguri.

He pointed out that the highway was strategically important for India because it moved along the Siliguri corridor — the thinnest part of the Indian sub-continent — and touched or was closer to a number of prominent defence establishments.

These include the headquarters of Trishakti Corps in Sukna, the Indian Air Force Station at Bagdogra, the Sevoke Military station and the army camp at Bengdubi near Bagdogra.

Sources in the state PWD said they had earmarked the land beside the existing two-lane highway, which would be required for the project.