To expedite pace of infrastructure building in the country, the Centre is using IT applications on a large scale to monitor 900 highways projects worth Rs 6 lakh crore, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today said.
"We have decided to use IT applications on a large scale. We are monitoring 900 projects worth Rs 6 lakh crore. We can see the progress. By monitoring, we can increase efficiency," Road Transport and Highways Minister Gadkari said addressing an event, IT For Parivahan.
The minister said the government has managed to roll out majority of the 403 projects worth Rs 3.8 lakh crore that were stuck when the current NDA government took over.
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"Some problems are related to 21 projects that are valued at Rs 30,000 crore, but we will very soon resolve these," Gadkari said.
He said some innovative initiatives by the ministry, like the launch of a portal for making available cement and steel had resulted in availability of 250 lakh tonnes of cement for infrastructure projects at affordable rates.
Likewise e-tolling on 380 plazas across the nation would result in saving precious time and money he said pointing out to a study by IIM Kolkata which calculated that delays at toll plazas resulted in Rs 60,000 crore loss annually.
Gadkari said steps were on to augment the length of National Highways to two lakh km.
The minister said when the BJP government took over, the length of national highways was barely 96,000 km of the 52 lakh km of total road length and 2 per cent of the National Highways bore 40 per cent of the traffic.
He said efforts were also on to reduce the logistics cost from the present 18 per cent to at least 8 per cent and that is bound to boost exports 1.5 times.
NHIDCL Director Sanjay Jaju said various efforts were on to integrate IT applications with ministry's functioning.
IT-Task Force Member Vineet Goenka said information technology should be used as a decision support system in strengthening, maintaining and upgrading national transport system.
Also, he said that surplus coal from Coal India could be
utilised in making gas etc which in turn can result in gas-based urea production.
"We are giving subsidy of Rs 45,000 crore for urea. We are importing urea...We need a research institute and transparent policy. This is the future. It is import substitute, cost effective," the Minister said.
He also stressed the need for flex fuel cars on the pattern of Brazil and the US.
The minister said if recycled properly, methane obtained from sewage water can fuel CNG buses.
