‘By 2024-end, India’s highways will match US in quality & quantity’: Nitin Gadkari to WION

India has undertaken several significant highway projects to connect major cities across the country. In an interview, speaking exclusively to WION’s Vikram Chandra, India'sMinister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, on Saturday (April 8), spoke about how “development of infrastructure is the most important priority,” for the country.

The transport minister also said that by his estimate, India’s highways infrastructure will match that of the United States by the end of next year, “both qualitatively and quantitatively”. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given “highest priority” to developing “world-class infrastructure,” Gadkari told WION.

“We have created six world records this year. We have the net highest road network in the world, and the way in which we are developing the road infrastructure, we are using the best technology and material,”he added.

The transport minister also spoke about the steps being taken by the government to protect the environment while building good road infrastructure. “We have used at least 20 lakh (two million) tonnes of municipal solid waste for Delhi ring road, and for Ahmedabad expressway,” referring to the two previous projects in the Indian cities.

Not only do “we want to protect the ecology and environment” but “at the same time we want to develop a good road infrastructure,” said the transport minister. We also don’t have any “financial crunch” as “apart from government funds, we are also raising money from the market,” Gadkari told WION.

This was in reference to the major projects which are said to be worth tens of billions of dollars in India’s northern Union Territory Jammu and Kashmir and north-eastern states like Assam.

The transport minister also told WION that the construction of these highways is taking place at the pace of 38 kilometres per day, as of last year adding that “this year also we will try to maintain that.”

Subsequently, Gadkari told WION that despite “the impact of rains and Covidthis year (on construction), we will still have a good record construction and (also) try to increase it.”

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