Chandigarh, Sep 3 (IANS): Union Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal said on Thursday the Union government has approved the construction of 18 road projects comprising 1,000 km in Punjab after she, as well as SAD President Sukhbir Badal, took up the issue with Road Transport and Highway Minister Nitin Gadkari.

In a statement, the Union minister said that most of the proposals for construction of new roads had been sent during the SAD-BJP tenure but had lagged behind because the Congress government in the state did not display any interest in following up on them.

She said that three new road links for the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra four-lane expressway have also been approved.

Harsimrat Badal said that since eight of these 18 projects pertained to Ferozepore and Bathinda parliamentary constituencies, the Congress government adopted a go-slow policy on the issue.

"However, I took up the matter with the Union Highway Ministry and Sukhbir Badal held a meeting with Nitin Gadkari to request him for approving the cases. I'm grateful to Gadkariji for according approval to all the road projects," she said.

Harsimrat Badal said that the new projects, which have been cleared, include the Delhi-Katra expressway portions in Punjab, including the Patran-Nakodar, Nakodar-Gurdaspur and Nakodar-Amritsar stretches.

"The detailed project reports are being made with regard to all the 18 projects. The work on the projects is likely to start within one year," she said.