92 per cent of Washington roads are weak: MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan

BHOPAL: Defending his statement of drawing parallel between roads of Washington and Madhya Pradesh, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said he stood by his remark on the quality of roads in Washington DC.
Addressing a press conference here at the state hangar after his return from 6 -day long US trip, Chouhan said 92 per cent roads of Washington DC are “weak”. He claimed several studies also endorse my view.
Chouhan said that when he made the road statement, he had in his mind the Super corridor of Indore.“When you land at Indore airport and proceed to the city, the road that you take is excellent”, he said.
“I went to US for branding of Madhya Pradesh and when I landed at Washington DC, I remembered Madhya Pradesh roads. I had in my mind the super corridor of Indore,” he said.
"You have to take my statement in positive way. If you tell me about some gali kee sadak ( road of some bylane).. then I must tell you that I had not been to America to talk about the bad roads of MP", he said.
Chouhan also gave example of Bhopal-Indore, Bhopal-Sagar, Indore Mandsaur and Neemuch roads as good roads of the state.He said last year 1.5 lakh km roads were constructed in MP. Compare them with the roads of 2003 in MP, more roads would be constructed in the coming years, he said.
But, Chouhan said, “He is pained to learn that the Congress didn't spare this moment also for playing politics.”
“The Congress leaders had sent some pictures of bad roads of MP to the president and had asked him to take action against me," he rued.
When asked will his government take action against the state Congress president - as said by the home minister- for sending the tweet complaining to American president, Shivraj said, “let me see”.
He said that “ America may be ahead of Madhya Pradesh in many counts but in the issues like women empowerment, we are ahead of the US. I told them that we have given 50 % reservation to women”.
Reading out a handout about his activities in America, he said that during the Friends of Madhya Pradesh convention on October 26 in New York, it was suggested to hold a Friends of MP conclave in Indore on January 3 and 4 next year.
He said that people from MP living in America said they would miss namkin from Indore and Ratlam. They also said there should be international flights from Indore and Bhopal airports.
He said many doctors from MP in America said they would want to perform operations and hold lectures in medical colleges in MP.
Chouhan said that according to an MOU signed during his last US visit, training of two doctors for Thalassemia treatment would be over by December 2017 .
He said first surgery of bone marrow transplantation is likely to take place in Indore in April 2018. It would cost just Rs 5 lakh .