Udaipur, April 16, 2025 - Member of Parliament Dr Mannalal Rawat met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, in Delhi and submitted a letter requesting several important road infrastructure projects. These include declaration of the Banswara via Salumber state road as a National Highway, the approval of an expressway connecting Udaipur and Jaora via Bansi, Dhariawad and Pratapgarh, and the completion of delayed construction on the Udaipur-Jhadol route, particularly at Ran Ghati and the section east of Paliyakheda.

Minister Gadkari gave instructions to the officials present to investigate and resolve the issues.

MP Rawat informed the Minister that the Udaipur-Banswara route via Salumber (State Highway 32) is narrow and frequently congested, leading to daily road accidents. Declaring this road a National Highway and converting it into a four-lane road could solve these issues. This road connects Udaipur division headquarters to Banswara district headquarters via Salumber and has a total length of 156.50 km. Upgrading it to a National Highway would greatly benefit the Mewar and Vagad regions, which are predominantly tribal.

Once declared a National Highway, this route would facilitate smoother connectivity from Mewar and Vagad regions to Madhya Pradesh (Ratlam) and Gujarat (Dahod). It would also enable safer, faster and more efficient public transport services. The improved infrastructure would boost the region’s agricultural, forest and industrial potential, creating new employment opportunities. The current accident-prone conditions of the road cause daily hardship for residents, and a National Highway upgrade would help reduce accidents.

MP Rawat also requested the approval of an expressway from Udaipur to Jaora via Bansi, Dhariawad and Pratapgarh to connect the city with Ujjain. He highlighted that the current distance between Udaipur and Ujjain is about 375 km, which takes 6 to 8 hours to travel.

The Madhya Pradesh government is currently building an expressway from Ujjain to Jaora, enabling smooth movement on an eight-lane expressway. A proposal to build an eight-lane expressway from Jaora to Pratapgarh has already been submitted by Chittorgarh MP CP Joshi.

Udaipur is a major tourist destination and connected to prominent pilgrimage sites like Shrinathji (Nathdwara, approx. 50-60 km away) via a four-lane highway and Sanwaria Seth (Mandaphiya) via a six-lane highway. Constructing an expressway from Udaipur to Jaora, through Bansi, Dhariawad and Pratapgarh, would not only facilitate faster and more convenient religious trips but also connect tribal-dominated regions like Udaipur, Pratapgarh, Dhariawad and Salumber to the Delhi-Mumbai eight-lane expressway. This would significantly boost educational and industrial development in these areas. Additionally, the travel distance between Udaipur and Jaora would be reduced to around 160 km, cutting travel time from six hours to approximately two hours.

Rawat emphasised that, considering the multi-faceted development needs of the tribal-dominated areas of south Rajasthan and the demands of the local population, approval should be granted soon for the Udaipur-Jaora expressway, connecting Udaipur to the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway at the Jaora junction.