Bhopal: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Saturday expressed his optimism, stating that India is on track to surpass America in terms of road infrastructure in the near future.
Speaking at the inaugural session of a two-day seminar on ‘Latest emerging trends and technologies in road and bridge construction’ in Bhopal, he highlighted that India boasts the second-largest road network in the world, spanning an impressive 63 lakh kilometres.
“In the coming time, Indian road infrastructure will be even better than that of America. We will do it,” addressing the gathering of over 400 participants, most of them engineering backgrounds from across the country.
Gadkari also issued a call to action for state governments, urging them to take a proactive role in ensuring the safety of their citizens. He advised states to involve students from engineering colleges in rectifying mistakes in DPRs (Detailed Project Reports), fostering a collaborative approach to road safety.
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The Union minister further said that the number of people who die in road accidents every year is more than the lives lost during the Covid-19 pandemic or any war.
Expressing deep concern, Gadkari revealed that approximately 1.78 lakh people, including doctors and engineers, lose their lives in road accidents annually. This alarming statistic underscores the urgent need to address road safety in India.
He added that these accidents cause a 3 percent loss to the country’s GDP. Road safety and the environment need to be improved to give people a better life.
He said people need to be socially conscious, sensitive, and responsible, as this is the most important thing for human beings. He said black spots causing accidents should be identified, and road engineering should be enhanced.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, Chief Secretary Anurag Jain, engineers, and officials from the state Public Works Department (PWD), among others, attended the event at Ravindra Bhawan.
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–IANS
(Photo: IANS)
