Give Priority To Entities Having JVs With International Players To Improve Road Safety: Gadkari

Union Roads Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday said there is a need to get best global practices for road engineering projects by giving priority to entities having joint ventures international consultants.
     
Speaking at an India Today event here, Gadkari said he used to insist on "swadeshi and Indian" consultants for preparing detailed project reports but feels the need to revisit the same.
     
India witnesses the highest number of road accidents in the world and also the number of fatalities at 1.5 lakh a year is the highest, he said, adding that road safety is his top priority.
     
"I used to insist on Swadeshi and Indian DPR (Detailed Project Report) makers, but I told our secretary yesterday that for improvements in road engineering, we should give priority to those who have joint ventures with international players so that world's expertise comes with us," Gadkari said.
     
Road engineering has come to the fore of late, especially after the death of former Tata Group chairman Cyrus Mistry in a road crash earlier this year.
     
Gadkari said his department has spent Rs 40,000 crore to identify 'black spots' on highways and efforts are on to improve the same. He is also targeting to halve the number of deaths and accidents by 2024.
     
He blamed the high growth in motor vehicles and people's attitudes for the dismal record in this aspect. People have no fear or respect for the law, and at the same time, there is an explosion in the number of motor vehicles, he rued.
     
"India's automobile growth is so high… we have 17 crore vehicles. A family of three has seven cars in the home. How will the roads be made (to accommodate so many vehicles)," the minister said.
     
He also said there is problem with parking and people in big cities just keep their cars on the roads.
     
Further, the minister outlined that auto engineering, road engineering, education and awareness in people, and emergency help are essential to save lives.
     
When asked about Maharashtra missing out on large ticket investments as projects are going to Gujarat, Gadkari said an investor has the right to choose the destination and said that "we need to avoid politicizing such decisions".
     
Terming politics as a game of compromises, compulsions and limitations, where there are no permanent friends or foes, he refrained from speaking on the recent ousting of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government.
     
The political leader from Nagpur, however, said that he has very good relations with people across party lines in Maharashtra though his "convictions" about BJP are clear.
     
On the timing of civic polls in Delhi and whether they have been announced to keep BJP's opponent AAP's Arvind Kejriwal busy in his home city, Gadkari said this is merely a coincidence.
     
Meanwhile, the minister said there is a need to reduce the air pollution in the national capital and pitched for better management of the rice straw by using it for bio fuels.
     
According to Gadkari, there is no in-fighting or problem with rebels in Himachal Pradesh, and exuded confidence of creating a record where the incumbent BJP-led government will hold to power in the hill state.
     
In Gujarat, BJP will definitely win and a battle is on between the second and third place between the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, he said.