NEW DELHI: Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has said that the cost of constructing one kilometer of highway in Kerala is Rs 100 crore. He said this while speaking at the Parliament on road construction in the country,

"The Chief Minister of Kerala had said that 25 percent of the cost of land acquisition related to highway construction will be borne by the state. But later he withdrew it. The Center has asked the state to cooperate in road construction by waiving the royalty of construction materials and giving government land for free.", Nitin Gadkari said.

At the same time, Union Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri criticized opposition-ruled states including Kerala for not waiving VAT following the increase in petrol prices. The minister's response came when opposition MPs raised the issue in Parliament.