Transport sector targets 2% contribution to GDP: Gadkari

Construction of express ways on major routes and development of waterways are among the steps government is taking to achieve its target of raising transport sector's contribution to the GDP to 2 per cent, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said today.
"The ministry's target is that two per cent of the country's GDP will be contributed by the transport sector with the potential to create 15 lakh jobs", Gadkari, Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, said at an interaction at the MCCI here.
He said road construction target by March-end would be 30 kilometres per day from 18 kilometres per day now, while the length of national highways would be increased from 96,000 kilometres to 1.5 lakh kilometres.

The government, he said, had also decided to construct express highways on major routes, while highest priority had been given to waterways to reduce transportation costs.
Regarding shipping, he said, the plan was to improve the network of ports.
"There are 111 rivers in the country which can be developed as waterways for which feasibility studies are being conducted. We are hopeful of getting approval from the Parliament", Gadkari said.

In addition to 12 major ports, he said that three more would come up at Sagar Islands in West Bengal, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
He said that Boston Consulting Group (BCG) had been appointed to study all major ports.

Gadkari said that the central government has accorded
highest priority to the construction of roads in the Northeast.
"The Northeast is neglected. We have decided to give highest priority to the construction of roads there involving a cost of Rs one lakh crore", he said.
The minister said that for the first time in India, all corporations under his ministry and all ports had made profits in excess of Rs 6,000 crore.
He said that road projects worth Rs 2.83 lakh crore were stuck up due to litigation and land acquisition problems.
Now 90 per cent of the problems had been solved, he said.

Hooghly Dock Private Limited would set up a unit in Kolkata to manufacture barges, catamarans and hovercrafts of international standards, he said.