Bureaucrats should not be afraid of experimenting: Gadkari

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Union minister Nitin Gadkari today said that bureaucracy needs to change its mindset and officers should not be afraid of experimenting.
Speaking at a seminar on 'repair, rehabilitation and retrofitting of bridges and structures', he said engineering talent can do miracles with out-of-the-box approach and by encouraging innovative initiatives.
The road transport and highways minister said government officers are afraid of experimenting and want to keep holding on to old techniques. Bureaucracy needs to change its mindset, he added.
Gadkari said that having developmental approach, positive thinking, team work, fast track decision making and corruption-free system was required in administration.

The Union minister said that currently there were 1.70 lakh bridges constructed by the Centre and comprising all the states there can be at least 10 lakh bridges in the country.
He said that Centre has identified 23 bridges that are 100-year-old and 1,628 are 50-year-old. 147 bridges are in dilapidated condition and 6,700 bridges require repair.

"These bridges are asset of our country. Maintaining them through cost-effective techniques can increase their life and it will be a welfare to the people," he said.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who was also present at the seminar, claimed that the state government has built excellent roads and bridges in a short span of time and maintenance of the infrastructure in extreme climatic conditions was indeed a challenge.

She said that state will adopt the Centre's model to evaluate conditions of the bridges and also explore new techniques in construction and their maintenance.