In order to increase connectivity through road in the country and to facilitate the people, the central government is working at many levels. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said that India's road infrastructure will be like that of America before the end of 2024. The Union Minister codified a statement of US President Kennedy saying that "America's roads are good not because America is rich country, but America's roads are good because America is rich." The Union Minister said this while replying in the Lok Sabha on the Demands for Grants of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for the financial year 2022-23.
During this, the Union Minister placed many important things related to the improvement being done by the Ministry of Road Infrastructure. In which he told that in many parts of the country people live near highways and tolls. In such a situation, they have to pay toll money even for traveling short distances, because due to the construction of new roads and highways, the toll stops in the middle of the distance of their villages. In view of the problem of such people, the government will provide passes to those local people who have Aadhar card.
There will be only one toll plaza within 60 km
The Union Minister also said that there will be only one toll plaza within 60 km and if there is another toll plaza, it will be closed in the next 3 months. He said that his ministry under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is striving to increase the road infrastructure to make India prosperous and powerful. Apart from this, their effort is to reduce the expenditure on construction works. For this he is trying his best to use modern technology. He said that our endeavor is to reduce the cost of construction and improve the quality of construction by incorporating world class technology.
Construction work going on across the country
The Union Minister informed that the Joji-La tunnel is being constructed. At present, a thousand people are working there where the temperature is minus one degree. We are trying to complete it before 2024. Work has also started on Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway. Road is being constructed from Chennai to Bangalore. We are trying to bring cutting edge technology from all over the world. The tender for Majoli Island was awarded to the UP Corporation at a very low cost of Rs 680 crore and the company is presently working there. Similarly, we have reduced the construction cost of Majuli bridge on Brahmaputra from Rs.6000 crores to Rs.680 crores. Our endeavor is to reduce construction cost and improve construction quality. Earlier it used to take four and a half hours to go from Delhi to Meerut, but now after the construction of the expressway, it takes only 40 minutes to cover the above distance. It is also saving fuel. We are building 22 green highways and industrial corridors across the country.
Expressway will save traffic time and fuel
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said about inflation that the biggest problem of the country is high logistics cost. Due to the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, crude oil prices have once again jumped. As a result, vegetables are getting expensive, everything else is also getting expensive as the transportation cost is increasing. With the construction of expressways across the country, traffic time will also be reduced and fuel consumption will also come down and ultimately the cost of logistics will also come down. He said that we are connecting districts, ports, industrial corridors and industrial clusters with four-lane highways. We are also linking it to the fisheries and agro-processing industry. If the dream of self-reliant India is to be fulfilled, then exports should be increased as well as imports should be reduced. For that we have to reduce the logistics cost. Technology is also improving in our country in a big way. My point is that whenever the state needs NH anywhere, please send the complete list. We will build all their national highways.
6 airbags mandatory in car
There are five lakh accidents in India every year and in these accidents 1.5 lakh people die and about three lakh people become disabled. This results in a loss of three percent of GDP. The Union Minister said that keeping in mind the road safety, I have decided that we will bring in a project management consultancy. In order to save the lives of passengers, 6 airbags have been made mandatory in every car. Along with road engineering, traffic education is also very much needed. Everyone's cooperation is needed to prevent road accidents. Tamil Nadu is one of the states which, in collaboration with the World Bank, has reduced the number of road accidents and accident deaths by up to 50 percent. The Tamil Nadu model has to be implemented across the country. We are also planning to rectify all the black spots on the city roads so that the accident deaths can be reduced.
People moving towards electric vehicle
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said that to deal with the menace of pollution, we are switching to Ethanol, Methanol, Bio-Diesel, Bio-CNG, Bio-LNG, Green Hydrogen and Electric. Union Minister requested all of us to take initiative for green hydrogen. Hydrogen mission has been announced at a cost of Rs 3000 crore. technology Rapid advances in technology and green fuels will reduce the cost of electric automobiles, bringing their prices at par with petrol-powered vehicles in the next two years. Gadkari said that within a maximum of two years, the cost of electric scooters, cars, auto rickshaws will be the same as that of petrol powered scooters, cars, auto rickshaws. Lithium-ion battery prices are coming down. We are developing the chemistry of zinc-ion, aluminum-ion, sodium-ion battery. While petrol costs Rs 100, an electric vehicle will cost Rs 10.
Direct route from Pithoragarh to Mansarovar
It was my dream to develop a direct route from Pithoragarh to Mansarovar. Work is going on on this road. People of India will be able to travel to Mansarovar through this road after December 2023.
Emergency Landing Road-cum-Runway on 28 National Highways
Logistic parks, smart cities, smart villages may come along with green highways on our road network in future. We are building 650 roadside facilities including trauma centres. Making emergency landing roads-cum-runways on 28 national highways. If small planes are operated under UDAN scheme then it will be beneficial for the people. Electronic toll collection has reached the level of 97 percent. Now want to bring GPS system.
On transferring the tree, you will get money on the basis of per tree
Reiterating the commitment of his ministry related to environment, Union Minister Gadkari said that it is his endeavor that no tree should be cut for construction work. For this, his ministry will prepare more than one thousand contractors to transfer only trees across the country and the government will give them money per tree to transfer the trees.
