Indian roads will surpass US quality within two years: Nitin Gadkari

Nitin Gadkari expressed his optimism about India's future in electric vehicle (EV) adoption, predicting that the country will surpass the US in both EV adoption and manufacturing within next 5 years

Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari has said that within the next two years, Indian roads will surpass those of the United States in quality. Speaking at the Times Drive Auto Summit and Awards 2025 on Tuesday (March 25), Gadkari emphasised the significant developments in the road sector that have taken place and will continue in the coming years.

 

He highlighted the substantial progress in the road infrastructure, saying, "I don't think there is any problem in the road sector. The changes this year and next year will be so significant that earlier I used to say our highway road network would match that of the US, but now I say that within two years, our highway network will be even better than the US."

 

EV adoption in India

 

The Union Minister also expressed his optimism about India's future in electric vehicle (EV) adoption, predicting that the country will surpass the US in both EV adoption and manufacturing within the next five years. This aligns with the ministry's ongoing efforts to make the country's roadways more advanced and environmentally friendly.

 

Gadkari also spoke about the ministry's plans to drastically reduce travel time between key cities such as Delhi, Dehradun, Jaipur, and Bengaluru, thanks to the enhancements in road infrastructure. When questioned about Tesla's potential entry into India, Gadkari responded, "It is an open market; whoever has the power, come and make it and compete in the prices." He added that Indian transport manufacturers focus on quality rather than solely on cost.

 

In addition, the Union Minister reiterated his commitment to lowering India's logistics costs, which currently stand at 14-16 per cent, by bringing them down to single digits. This reduction is part of his broader goal to make India more competitive on the global stage. Furthermore, Gadkari set an ambitious target for the future, aiming to build a 60-kilometre road network every day to expedite progress in the road sector.