The use of steel and cement should be reduced in road construction without compromising on quality through innovation and research.

Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari has said that the use of steel and cement should be reduced in road construction without compromising on quality through innovation and research. Addressing the 16th Annual Conference on “Road Development in India ” he said CNG, LNG and ethanol should be used for the road equipment machinery. The Minister emphasized import substitution, cost-effective, pollution-free and indigenous methods and development of alternative fuel.   

Shri Gadkari said India with about 63 lakh km of the road network is the second largest road network in the world. He said road infrastructure plays a critical role in the growth of the economy as 70 per cent of the goods and nearly 90 per cent of passenger traffic uses roads to commute. Shri Gadkari said Prime Minister has set a vision for India to become a 5 trillion dollar economy in the next five years.  He said Government is investing 1.4 trillion dollars i.e. Rs 111 lakh crores in infrastructure development through the national infrastructure pipeline, further this year, the Government has increased year on year infrastructure CAPEX by 34 per cent to Rs. 5.54 lakh crores. Shri Gadkari said increased investment in infrastructure would help create employment during the covid pandemic. The minister said his aim was to construct a 60,000 km world-class national highway at the rate of 40 km per day.