Team News Riveting
New Delhi, July 9
Union Minister for Road Transport Highways Nitin Gadkari said that CNG, LNG and ethanol should be used for the road equipment machinery.
The suggestion is seen as a move to promote green cause and cost cutting in the road construction projects. Addressing the 16th Annual Conference on “Road Development in India”, the minister said the use of steel and cement should be reduced in road construction without comprising on quality through innovation and research.
Gadkari emphasized on import substitution, cost effective, pollution free and indigenous methods and development of alternative fuel.
India with about 63 lakh kms of road network is the second largest road network in the world. The road infrastructure plays a critical role in the growth of the economy as 70 percent of the goods and nearly 90 percent of passenger traffic uses roads to commute, he added.
Gadkari said Prime Minister has set a vision for India to become a 5 trillion dollar economy in next five years. He said Government is investing 1.4 trillion dollars i.e. Rs 111 lakh crore in infrastructure development through national infrastructure pipeline, further this year, Government has increased year on year infrastructure capex by 34 percent to Rs. 5.54 lakh crore.
The minister said increased investment in infrastructure would help create employment during COVID pandemic. He added his aim was to construct 60,000 km world class national highway at the rate of 40 km per day.
