Ministry Of Road Transport And Highways

Detailing the nine projects, the minister said the 110-km-long Northern Jaipur Ring Road, entailing an investment of Rs 6,500 crore, has been approved

Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari announced plans to work with private sector experts on traffic solutions to prevent road accidents, claiming India's road infrastructure will soon surpass the US

Himachal Pradesh minister Vikramaditya Singh on Thursday said leaders should rise above party politics and work for the development of the state and cited a AB Vajpayee anecdote to make his case. Singh, who celebrated his birthday with workers at the Congress office in Shimla, told reporters, "I have been informed that the state is getting about Rs 20 crore more from the Centre for roads." The Public Works Minister said the state government has tried to prioritise welfare of the state at the top and sought assistance from the Union government for it. Singh shared an anecdote from the time when his father and Congress leader Virbhadra Singh was the chief minister in Himachal in 2003 and BJP leader A B Vajpayee was the prime minister. "Vajpayee once said that he does not share the ideology of Virbhadra Singh ji but said 'he is my personal friend' and gave Rs 500 crore to Himachal," the PWD minister said. "What I mean to say is that we should rise above petty politics and work for th

The National Highways Authority of India is working to implement a 'free flow tolling' system on the Dwarka Expressway in New Delhi - a move that will eliminate physical toll plazas

India's logistics cost will come down to single-digit within the next five years, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday. Addressing the 'Deloitte Government Summit' here, Gadkari said the ministry is constructing several highways and expressways which will help reduce India's logistics cost. "I am confident that within five years our logistics cost will be in single-digit," he said. However, according to quick estimates of economic think tank National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), the logistics cost in India ranged from 7.8 per cent to 8.9 per cent of GDP in 2021-22. The road transport and highways minister further said he aimed to make the Indian automobile industry number one in the world. Last year, India had overtaken Japan to become the third-largest automobile market in the world, only behind the US and China, he said. According to him, the size of India's automobile industry rose from Rs 7.5 lakh crore in 2014 to Rs 22 la

Ministry of Road Transport & Highways Secretary Anurag Jain on Thursday pitched for scrapping of pre-BS era vehicles, especially commercial heavy vehicles, citing pollution and safety issues. Bharat Stage (BS) norms were introduced in the country in 2000. "If look at pre-BS vehicles, these do so much of pollution. The vehicles which are from before 2000 do pollution 15 times (more). Do you think such vehicles should run when there is so much of problems happening in our country due to pollution," Jain said. In case of such vehicles, he said, the fuel and maintenance costs also go up adding that there has been so much change in the safety features of vehicles in the last 15 years. "There is huge sense to actually scrap your own old vehicle. We are working from a lot of days to incentivise scrapping...If you scrap an old vehicle, you will bring safety, you will save on your fuel," he stressed. "So there is a need to think about such vehicles. This I am talking about commercial heavy

Vehicles equipped with On-Board Units (OBUs) featuring GNSS will automatically have tolls deducted based on the distance travelled, with the initial 20 km being free of charge

Vehicles equipped with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) On-Board Units (OBUs) will be able to automatically pay tolls based on the distance they travel

Within two years, the cost of an EV will be the same as petrol and diesel vehicles. They don't need subsidies as there already is an advantage with electric as a fuel, he says

Nitin Gadkari supported allowing foreign partners to hold up to 51% in tunnel projects, aiming to attract serious bidders and emphasised cost-effective, sustainable solutions

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) on Wednesday said that even a single bid for national highways work will be considered if it is reasonable. As per the circular, the bidding process will not be cancelled if there is only one bidder for a highway project. "Even when only one bid is submitted, the process should be considered valid, provided the procurement was satisfactory advertised and sufficient time was given for submission of bids, the qualification criteria were not restrictive and prices are reasonable in comparison to market value, " it said. Regarding reasonableness of the prices, the circular said the evaluation committee may examine the rates taking into consideration the comparison with the similar contracts awarded elsewhere. The purchase price of similar contracts may be updated taking into consideration inflation during the interim period, geographical conditions etc, it added. The circular said the purchase price of similar contracts may also be ...

More people have lost their lives in India in road accidents than wars, militancy and Naxalism, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday. Addressing the sixth Edition of FICCI Road Safety Awards and Conclave 2024, Gadkari further said the number of blackspots is increasing because of bad detailed project reports (DPRs) of road projects. "More people have lost lives in road crashes than wars, militancy and Naxalism," he said. According to Gadkari, India accounts for 5 lakh accidents and 1.5 lakh deaths annually, while 3 lakh people are injured. "This caused a 3 per cent loss to the country's GDP. Like a sacrificial lamb, a driver is blamed for every accident. Let me tell you, and I observe minutely -- often, the road engineering is at fault," he said. The minister emphasised on the need to conduct safety audit of all highways. He also noted that to reduce number of accidents, "we need to follow lane discipline". Gadkari added that the Ministry of

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has proposed new stricter safety standards for electric powertrain construction equipment vehicles including dumpers and excavators from October 1, 2024. The ministry in a draft notification has proposed an amendment to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 with an aim to push electric vehicles (EV) across various sectors. "On and after (1st October 2024), construction equipment vehicles fitted with electric power train shall meet requirements as specified in AIS-174, till the corresponding BIS specifications are notified under the Bureau of Indian Standard Act, 2016," the draft rule said. Electric and hybrid powertrain are being used in construction equipment vehicles. According to the notification, the objections or suggestions which may be received from any person in respect of the said draft rules before the expiry of the aforesaid period will be considered by the central government.

A staggering number of Indians face financial hardship due to disability, with lakhs suffering temporary or permanent limitations each year and recognising this critical gap in financial security, insurance companies are stepping forward with innovative solutions, officials said on Sunday. A 2018 report by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) revealed that India, despite having only 1 per cent of the world's vehicles, accounts for 6 per cent of all road crashes. According to experts, close to 5 to 7 lakh people in the country suffer from temporary or permanent disability each year due to the high rates of accidents and crippling diseases and lose their ability to work and earn a livelihood. "The onset of disability often brings substantial healthcare expenses, making comprehensive insurance coverage crucial to prevent social and financial decline," Future Generali India Insurance, Chief Distribution Officer, Ramit Goyal said. A study titled 'Measuring the financial .

The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is not facing any financial crises and has drawn up a plan to service its debt through improved inflows of toll revenue and asset monetisation, Parliament was informed on Thursday. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said, "NHAI is not facing any financial crises which is evident from the fact that NHAI has pre-paid bank loan to the tune of Rs 15,700 crore through InvIT monetisation proceeds - Rs 6,350 crore in the last financial year and Rs 9,350 crore in July 2024," he added. NHAI's debt stands at Rs 3.35 lakh crore. Gadkari said the government has not mandated NHAI to raise funds since FY2023-24. "Thus, the debt reduction has started," he said. The minister also said that NHAI has drawn up a plan to service its debt through improved inflows of toll revenue and asset monetisation. "The amount raised through the InvIT mode is used exclusively for debt repayment," Gadkari ...

Petrol pump owners said PUC centres will be shut from Monday onwards, expressing their dissatisfaction over the recent proposed hike in rates of pollution certificates by the city government. The operation of the pollution under control (PUC) centres is unviable, they said in a statement issued on Sunday. Delhi government on Thursday increased the PUC certificate charges for petrol, CNG and diesel vehicles after a gap of about 13 years. The hike ranges between Rs 20 and Rs 40. The new rates will be effective as soon as it is notified by the Delhi government, Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot had said. In a statement issued, the Delhi Petrol Dealers' Association (DPDA) said, "Since the operation of PUC centres is unviable, many PUC centres have surrendered their licenses in the last few months. The managing committee of the Delhi Petrol Dealers Association has thus resolved to close PUC centres at their retail outlets across Delhi from July 15 in light of arbitrary and grossly ...

The objective of the appointment is to streamline the awarding and construction processes for highways by improving land acquisition procedures, according to a report

Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi has urged Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari to intervene and take immediate action to complete the Teok-Sivasagar highway in Jorhat as its condition was "deplorable ". In a video appeal from the site of the under-construction highway, Gogoi said the work was delayed by several years and frequent accidents and long traffic jams had become common. The highway falls under Gogoi's Jorhat Lok Sabha constituency. The Congress MP said the Teok-Sivasagar highway is an important road in the Jorhat region, critical for boosting connectivity. "Work for several portions of the road has been 'ongoing' for the past several years. The condition of the road is deplorable. From frequent accidents to long traffic jams, this portion is affected with several issues," he said in the video posted on X. Gogoi said several contractors were brought in and left the job midway and multiple work tenders had been issued to no effect. People are facing se

Focus will be on the quality of work done and not just the length of highways built, say senior govt officials

State-owned NHAI is looking to offer 15 road projects worth Rs 44,000 crore covering 937 km during the current financial year under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) mode. Earlier this year, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) came out with a modified BOT project document to attract private companies for investments in the highways sector. These stretches include Guwahati Ring road including Brahmaputra Bridge in Assam (project cost Rs 5,500 crore), Kasarwadi-Rajgurunagar in Maharashtra (Rs 5,954 crore), Pune-Shirur road project in Maharashtra ( Rs 6,170 crore) and Armoor-Mancherial road project in Telangana (Rs 3,175 crore), among others. In BOT projects, private investors take the financing, building and operating a highway project over a concession period of 20-30 years. The developer then recoups investment through user charges or tolls. The changes in BOT projects introduced earlier this year include construction support to concessionaires to complete them on time a