'Vadodara-Mum highway, Wadhwan port work to start in 6 months'

Mumbai: Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said that work on the Vadodara-Mumbai National Highway and Wadhwan port in Dahanu in Maharashtra will start in the next six months.

"After the Narendra Modi government came to power, the port sector has seen phenomenal growth.

"Twelve of our ports and three state-run companies have turned profitable and, this financial year, we will see a profit of around Rs 4,500 crore from them," Gadkari said.

He was speaking at the foundation-stone laying ceremony for two Metro corridors in the city -- Andheri East-Dahisar East elevated corridor and Dahisar-DN Nagar corridor.

Three corporations -- Dredging Corporation of India, SCI and Cochin Ship Yard will together report a profit of Rs 850 crore, he said.

"Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has requested us to take forward the Wadhwan port project. I assure that this profit will be utilised for the development of the port," he said, adding that the work will commence in the next six months.

"In the next 15 days, I will inaugurate the Ahmedabad- Baroda (Vadodara) highway and the work on it will commence.

"We want to take that route ahead to Mumbai. We will commence the work on this route also in the next 6 months," Gadkari said.