Faulty Project Reports Responsible For Road Accidents: Nitin Gadkari Says At IAA Global Summit

The road transport and highways minister, who was addressing at the IAA Global Summit on Nations as Brands, said that the government is encouraging use of new technologies

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has attributed some of the road accidents to faulty project reports and stressed that companies need proper training for preparing detailed project reports (DPR) for construction of highways and other roads in India.

The minister, who was addressing at the IAA Global Summit on Nations as Brands on Monday, said that the government is encouraging use of new technologies. Nitin Gadkari was the chief guest in the programme. Avinash Pandey, Mancom member, IAA India Chapter CEO, ABP Network Pvt Ltd, gave the welcome address on Day One on Monday.

During the event, Gadkari said, “Some DPRs (Detailed Project Reports) prepared by companies are worst and are responsible for road accidents in the country.” He underlined the need for organising training programme for companies preparing DPRs.

"Shuruwat wahan se karo. Agar woh sudhrenege nahi, toh poora tumhara satyanash ho jayega (Beginning should be made from DPR. If the companies preparing DPRs do not improve, the problem will reoccur)," he said.

Gadkari emphasised on identifying reasons for delay in the road projects as rising cost of construction due to delay is also an important concern.

Former Tata Sons Chairman Cyrus Mistry was killed in a road accident on Sunday after his car hit a divider in Maharashtra's Palghar district.

According to National Crime Records Bureau data, over 1.55 lakh lives were lost in road crashes across India in 2021, an average of 426 daily or 18 every single hour, which is the highest death figures recorded in any calendar year so far, the PTI reported.

While the number of deaths due to crashes reached its highest last year, the number of road accidents and persons injured has come down compared to previous years, the report of the NCRB, which functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs, revealed.

Expressing concern over poor quality of road construction in some states, Gadkari said every year state governments are spending Rs 10,000-15,000 crore for repairs of roads. “Every 2-3 years, we are spending money on maintenance of roads...why are we wasting our money,” he added.