Pollution free and cost effective transports are our priorities: Nitin Gadkari

Union Transport minister Nitin Gadkari said that they are working on pollution free and cost effective import substitute.

Gadkari said that the numbers of cars are increasing and all of them use petrol and diesel, which is why Delhi needed implementations like odd-even.

"Our country has surplus coal and electricity, but still cost of petrol is Rs 75, while diesel is Rs 60, which is equivalent to eight rupees of electricity," he said.

"In my own city Nagpur, I have started two hundred electric taxis and have put twenty stations, which is making people buy electric vehicles," he added.

Talking to media, Gadkari also suggested that busses and taxis can work on hundred percent ethanol, which is cost effective and pollution free.

"All buses and taxis in Uttar Pradesh can run on ethanol, as sugarcane farmers can provide it," he said, adding, he has given the proposal to U.P Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the same.

He further said that they are planning to start double-decker and A/C buses from Delhi to Ludhana, Delhi to Jammu, Delhi to Shimla, Delhi to Jaipur, so that metro cities are joined and people stop using their cars.

"We want to discourage people to use their cars and use more of public transports and for that we are bringing new kind of innovative models," he said.

He further said that they have decided to use the automobile standards of Germany, France, UK and Sweden and hence have appointed a consultant who will be studying their standards.

"We will fully accept and then implement those standards here so that we have 20 to 30 tons of trucks here, that will increase the width of the road and will try to move logistics part out of the city," Gadkari added.

He further said that if the logistics rate decrease by four percent to six percent, there will be growth in India exports and employment will increase.