Page 17 - Nitin Gadkari

Rural road construction changes path for the first time in 8 years

he rural development scheme has been 'poorly' performing in the recent past, as it has been continuously missing its targets for the April-June period since FY16

418 feet national flag, India's tallest, installed at Attari-Wagah border

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday inaugurated a 418-feet national flag, the tallest in the country, at Attari in Punjab's Amritsar district. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Amritsar MP Gurjit Singh Aujla and senior Border Security Force officials accompanied Gadkari at the function. The Union minister said a surveillance system has been fitted atop the flag which will help the BSF troops keep track of the activities near the border. Gadkari was on a Punjab visit to review the progress of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway and the Amritsar bypass here. The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways also visited the Golden Temple and offered prayers there. Talking to media persons, he said, "I got the privilege to pay obeisance at the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple here today, so I feel blessed. After paying obeisance, I prayed before the Almighty for the well-being, and good health of all Indians and the development of the country." In the evening, Gadkari

Committed to develop PPP model for inland water transport sector: Gadkari

The government is committed to fostering public, private partnership to drive further growth in the inland water transport sector, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday. Addressing the third edition of the Global Maritime India Summit via video conference here, Gadkari said several national waterways are proposed under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode. The three-day mega maritime event commenced here on Tuesday. The Minister for Road Transport and Highways said "the development of waterways is very important for the development of Bharat." "We are committed to fostering public-private partnership (PPP) to drive further growth in the inland water transport sector. Several national waterways are proposed under PPP modes. "Another major initiative, which has been taken by the government is the Sagarmala project with port modernisation and new port development, port connectivity investment, port-led industrliastion and coastal community development as its four pillar

NHAI facing difficulties in DPRs as firms not ready to accept tech: Min

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is facing difficulties in the preparation of detailed project reports, as companies concerned are not ready to accept new technology, union minister Nitin Gadkari said on Tuesday. The road transport and highways minister said that the government is encouraging the use of new technologies. Addressing the 'CRISIL India Infrastructure Conclave 2023', he said big players in the steel and cement industry are indulging in cartelisation to jack-up prices. "... the steel industry and cement industry... whenever they get the chance, they make the cartel and increase the rate," he said. According to Gadkari, rating of companies who make DPRs is a big challenge. "The preparation of DPRs is a big problem for NHAI... there is no perfect DPR anywhere in any project," Gadkari, who is known for his frank views, said. "While making DPR, they (companies engaged in DPR making) are not ready to accept new technology, new innovation, new research and ev

Nitin Gadakri approves Rs 154 crore to build bridges in Himachal Pradesh

The Minister said with this approval, two bridges will be constructed on the Swan River at a cost of Rs 50.60 crore and Pong Dam on the Beas River at a cost of Rs 103.65 crore

Govt plans to set standards for construction of bus bodies: Gadkari

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday said the government is considering setting standards for the construction of bus bodies, which will be uniformly applicable to both original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and bus body builders. This step will pave the way for further improvements in the quality of buses in India with a primary focus on ensuring passenger safety during contingency, the road transport and highways minister said in a tweet. Gadkari emphasised that in the wake of the rising number of bus accidents, there is a pressing need to enhance the quality of bus body construction in Bharat. He said the draft notification for these standards is being published by the ministry to solicit suggestions. Gadkari expressed hope that all stakeholders will support this initiative to ensure the safety of all bus occupants.

Will achieve road safety targets set in Stockholm Declaration: Gadkari

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday reiterated India's commitment to achieving global road safety targets set in the Stockholm Declaration, according to an official statement. Gadkari, while addressing the ministerial session focusing on road safety at the 27th World Road Congress in Prague, Czech Republic, emphasized on adopting a holistic approach to minimise road crashes and fatalities by stakeholders at all levels. The road transport and highways minister reiterated the country's special focus on spreading awareness to effect behavioral change and ensuring flawless enforcement of rules. According to the statement, the minister further apprised the gathering of the strides India has been taking in the field of automobile safety with flagship programmes such as BHARAT NCAP and reiterated our commitment to achieving the global road safety targets set in the Stockholm Declaration. The Stockholm Declaration aims at halving the number of fatalities and serious injuries on roads by

Gadkari announces Urban Extension Road 2 opening during Prague visit

Minister Nitin Gadkari also said that India has set a target to become world's number one automobile manufacturing hub in the next 3 to 4 years

National Highway projects worth Rs 3,659 cr inaugurated in Maha's Washim

In the last nine years, 227 km of highway network connecting Vidarbha and Marathwada has been constructed in Maharashtra's Washim

Govt working on policy to make NHs pothole free by year end: Nitin Gadkari

The government is working on a policy to ensure that there are no potholes on national highways by year-end and construction of roads on Built-Operate-Transfer (BOT) mode is being preferred as such projects are maintained in a better manner, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday. With an aim to make the national highways free of potholes by the end of December this year, the Road Transport and Highways Ministry is firming up performance-based maintenance and short-term maintenance contracts. Generally, road construction is done through three modes -- BOT, Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC), and Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM). "The roads which are constructed under the EPC mode require maintenance quite early whereas under the BOT mode, roads are better constructed as the contractor knows that he will have to bear the cost of maintenance for the next 15-20 years. "That is why we have decided for construction of roads under the BOT mode in a big way," the Road Transp

Finalising policy for using municipal waste in road construction: Gadkari

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said his ministry is finalising a policy for use of municipal waste in road construction. Addressing a press conference, Gadkari further said the government is considering offering incentives to construction equipment manufacturers for not using fossil fuels. "We are finalising the policy for using municipal waste in road construction," he said. Gadkari said his ministry has taken several initiatives to decarbonise the transport sector and that the government is working on developing electric highways between Delhi and Jaipur. Electric highways cater to electric traction for vehicles in the same manner as is done for railways. This is based on a prevalent technology in countries like Sweden and Norway. It involves the provision of power cables, which can be utilised by a vehicle which caters to this type of technology. The vehicle will utilise the power from this cable for its traction. At present, the ministry i

Improving signals for road sector companies with 25% budget boost for FY24

Given high competition, firms with ability to monetise projects, focus on high margin assets and healthy balance sheets are preferred plays

What ails the electric vehicle minnows? Branding, cost competitiveness

A quiet EV revolution is both promising, and pensive

Young adults constitute the largest chunk of road accidents: AIIMS study

Of the 3,885 vehicles involved in road crashes till July, 73.8 per cent were two-wheelers

Hurdles in biofuel use: Few vehicles, weak ethanol-blended petrol rollout

Last week, Union Ministers had called for quick adoption of biofuels in the transportation sector

Gadkari bats for small units, new technology to reduce prices of houses

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday said shifting focus from large size homes to small units, use of new technologies and construction methods as well as application of innovative construction material will significantly help in reducing the cost of homes. Addressing the 40th Annual General Meeting of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers of India (Credai) Pune Metro, he said there was need for decentralization from 'smart cities' to 'smart villages' that can be connected to cities with an efficient road network. A miniscule percentage of the country's people can afford houses with price tags of Rs 1 crore or more and the country's masses should be at the centre of approach to housing construction, a release quoted Gadkari as saying. He cited examples of how cost of construction for infrastructure projects was reduced by his ministry by applying innovative construction technology and materials, adding the same concepts can be extended to housing construction to reduce price

Strong domestic EV play and JLR sales positives for Tata Motors stock

A key factor is that JLR reported increased sales for Q1FY24 reflecting continuing improvement in chip and other supply constraints

Fuel for thought

Mr Gadkari's statement reflects a valid policy concern

Govt not planning to levy any tax on diesel vehicles: Nitin Gadkari

Seeking to clarify his remarks on taxation of diesel vehicles, Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said that he wanted to convey to automobile manufacturers to take steps to reduce pollution, and also added that there is no proposal to levy tax on such vehicles. Earlier this week, the road, transport and highway minister's remarks regarding the need to levy 10 per cent tax on diesel-run vehicles to help cut emissions had generated lots of controversy. "I am not against diesel fuel and neither we are going to levy any tax on diesel vehicles," Gadkari told CNBC-TV18. The road transport and highways minister noted that from the pollution point of view, diesel is very hazardous and it is really causing health problem in the country. Gadkari emphasised that he is not against any industry and pointed out that the government is already giving incentives for electric cars. "So my suggestion to the industry is that best way to (reduce pollution) is to concentrate on alternative fuel,"

Auto dealers should open vehicle scrapping units, says Nitin Gadkari

The minister said the government was actively promoting a circular economy, and the government will grant permission to dealers to start vehicle scrapping facilities