UP roads will soon vie with those of America under its 'double-engine' growth: Nitin Gadkari
Jaunpur (UP), Dec 20: If UP continues to pursue its double-engine growth under the Modi and Yogi governments in the Centre and the state for another five years, the roads here will vie with those in America, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Monday.
The Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways made the assertion while laying foundation stones for three national highway projects worth Rs 1,123 crore here along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
If UP continues to grow under the double-engine governments (of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Centre and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in UP) for another five years, the UP roads will not only surpass European standards but will vie with those in America, asserted Gadkari.
Mark my words. They are lines carved in stones, he said, seeking to assure the audience attending the rally on the occasion.
Underlining the contribution of roads to the growth of the economy of a country, Gadkari recalled the famous quote of former US President John F Kennedy: American roads are not good because America is rich but America is rich because American roads are good.
Gadkari said all road-building work and other developmental ventures of his ministry stayed stalled when he joined PM Modi's Cabinet in 2014.
They were, however, expedited by the PM, he said, adding the picture of UP has changed now .
Giving details of expenditure on building roads in UP since 2014, Gadkari said projects worth Rs 1.40 lakh crore have already been completed in the state and projects worth Rs 1.80 lakh crore are under progress.
More than Rs 45,000 crore have been spent on land acquisition and other related works, he added.
"More than Rs 3 lakh crore have been spent in UP by my ministry since 2014 and if the double engine government is allowed to work for another five years, this will be raised to Rs 5 lakh crore," Gadkari said and asked people to mark his words.
Hailing Chief Minister Adityanath work in tackling mafias and criminal elements, Gadkari said if law and order is good, investment comes pouring .
"There is no dearth of anything in UP. It is an affluent state but with poor people. I cannot understand how the people here have remained poor in a rich state," he wondered.
Targeting Congress and the Samajwadi Party for allegedly pursuing pariwarwadi (dynastic) politics, Gadkari said, It was the height of the dynastic politics in India that PMs were borne out of the womb of a PM, an MP from the womb of an MP and MLAs from the wombs of MLAs.
It is the BJP which has ended this dynastic politics, said Gadkari.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
