VP Radhakrishnan Meets B.C. Khanduri, Inquires About Health
Flags off India’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper; rolls out four Amrit Bharat Express trains from North Bengal.
- Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan met former Uttarakhand CM B.C. Khanduri in Dehradun.
- Meeting reflected decades-old personal and professional rapport.
- VP recalled Khanduri’s role in expanding national highways in Tamil Nadu.
- Praised his contribution to Golden Quadrilateral and road infrastructure.
GG News Bureau
Dehradun, 17th Jan: Vice-President of India C. P. Radhakrishnan on Saturday paid a personal visit to Major General (Retd.) B. C. Khanduri, former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand and former Union Minister, at his residence in Dehradun and enquired about his health. Though unscheduled, the meeting reflected the warm personal rapport and long-standing association between the two leaders, shaped by decades of public service.
Major General (Retd.) Khanduri is a distinguished veteran of the Indian Army who served the nation for over three decades and was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) for exceptional service. After retiring from the Army, he entered politics and played a pivotal role in shaping governance and development in Uttarakhand, serving twice as Chief Minister of the state.
At the national level, Khanduri served as Minister of State (Independent Charge) and later as Cabinet Minister in the Ministry of Surface Transport and Highways under former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. During his tenure, he was instrumental in advancing the Golden Quadrilateral and the National Highways Development Programme, projects that transformed India’s road infrastructure and boosted connectivity.
Recalling their time together as Members of Parliament, Vice-President Radhakrishnan shared memories of working closely with Khanduri in the Lok Sabha. He narrated how he had once approached Khanduri, then Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, requesting the conversion of key State Highways in Tamil Nadu into National Highways — a proposal that Khanduri accepted promptly.
Thanking him for his vision and support, the Vice-President said that improved road connectivity had significantly contributed to the growth of Coimbatore as an industrial hub and aided overall regional development in Tamil Nadu.
