New Delhi, Nov 11 (IANS): Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Friday announced sanctioning of upcoming new projects worth Rs 1.6 lakh crore in the northeast.

At a press conference in Guwahati on the review of national highway (NH) projects in the northeastern region, the Minister said these projects include roads, ropeways, RoBs, major bridges across river Brahmaputra and other water bodies.

Gadkari said Multi Modal logistics parks have also been proposed at Udaipur in Tripura and Silchar in Assam.

He said under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, "we're working towards bridging the connectivity gap in the northeast, and giving momentum to transport infrastructure in the region".

"Around 50 Way Side Amenities and 50 Viewpoints are also being developed. Once completed, it would give a significant boost to the Tourism sector and economy in the northeastern region," he added.

Gadkari was on a three-day review programme of NH projects in northeast and Sikkim starting from Wednesday.

Discussions related to land acquisition issues, progress of ongoing projects, proposed projects, use of new technologies, disputes and arbitration and possible financial interventions were discussed at length during the review meetings.

He also reviewed the delayed projects in the four states to understand the reasons for delay and issued specific instructions to get them on track and has directed officials for the speedy completion of projects.