Entering the third term in office on Wednesday, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari will be focusing on hydrogen fuel, cashless treatment for accident victims, more ropeway projects and the Ministry’s Vision 2047.
Gadkari is the sole minister in the NDA cabinet who has not been moved since 2014, when he first joined the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). He joined the Ministry in May 2014 and became the longest serving minister when he was repeated with the same portfolio in 2019. Now, he is heading for a record that will not be easy for any other leader to surpass.
Gadkari joined the office on Wednesday. Among the ideas that will be prioritised by him will be push for greener fuels like hydrogen. He has long been an advocate of greener fuels. He uses a hydrogen-powered car but the technology, as of now, is very limited. News18 has learnt that the minister will push for the mass use of greener fuels, including hydrogen and will focus on building infrastructure for it.
The ministry has already prepared 100-day plans for the projects and ideas it will need to push in the first three months of the new government.
News18 has also learnt that among the 100-day plans, the push for greener fuel, pan-India implementation of cashless treatment of road accident victims and the steps for Ministry’s Vision 2047 will be key priorities. Further, Gadkari’s long-pending wish of satellite-based tolling and Advanced Traffic Management System will also get priority. The Ministry will push projects related to the Advanced Traffic Management System to at least 500 km in the next few months.
In this term, the Ministry and Gadkari will aim to introduce greener public transport between important stretches.
WORK HAS BEGUN
Even before the Minister could assume the office, the Ministry started working on these ideas as soon as the model code of conduct was lifted after the Lok Sabha results were declared on June 4.
Last week, the Ministry invited global expressions of interest (EOIs) from innovative and qualified companies to develop and implement Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-based electronic toll collection in India, proposed for a seamless and barrier-free tolling experience for national highway users and enhanced efficiency and transparency of toll operations.
On Tuesday, ahead of the Minister’s joining, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), under the Ministry, unveiled a new corporate identity for its National Highways Infra Trust (NHIT), with an aim to monetise projects worth Rs 15,000-20,000 crore through it in this financial year.
Further, the Ministry also reminded vehicle owners to ensure they have a valid third party insurance, one of the first important steps in the direction of cashless treatment to accident victims.
The Ministry, in a statement, said that it is not just a legal requirement, but having a motor third party insurance cover is an important aspect of being a responsible road user as it provides support to victims in case of accidents or damages.
Cashless treatment to road accident victims is a long-pending demand that the Ministry is prioritising in Gadkari’s third term.
Just before the announcement of the Lok Sabha polls in March, the Ministry had launched a pilot of the project in Chandigarh, allowing victims to avail free treatment up to Rs 1.5 lakh per accident per person for a maximum period of seven days from the date of the incident.
VISION 2047
Vision 2047 National Master Plan is an ambitious plan of the Ministry that aims to build access control multi-lane highways and expressways across the country.
While the project details were submitted to the Cabinet last year, the Ministry could not get the approval. Now, the Ministry will push for it again as they want to start working on dedicated expressways keeping in mind the longer term needs of the nation, particularly logistically.
MORE ROPEWAY PROJECTS
For better and faster development and connectivity to remote and difficult regions of the country, the Ministry, in the next five years, will be pushing for ropeway projects. The projects are faster and much cheaper to develop compared to roads.
Gadkari completed 10 years in the office last month. In the past 10 years, the Minister has transformed Indian roads – so much so that even the opposition leaders praise him for his work. The travel time across major cities has been cut down significantly, along with better comfort compared to railways.
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