To bring down deaths, safety must get highest priority while constructing roads: Gadkari

High Priority for Ro Safety: Union minister Nitin Gkari has drawn attention to rising number of ro accidents and consequent deaths, and stressed on giving safety highest priority while constructing pathways in country.

dressing 83rd annual session of Indian Ros Congress at Pt Deendayal Uphyay Auditorium here on Friday, he said if anyone dies in an accident due to ro engineering fault in future, n he will hold himself guilty for it.

Highlighting Centre's efforts to prevent ro accidents, he urged government engineers to quit ir jobs and start a good DPR (detailed project report) making company, assuring m to give work on a priority basis.

Minister of Ro Transport and Highways emphasised on production of bitumen and CNG from stubble in agriculture-dominated Chhattisgarh , arguing move will cut dependence on fossil fuels and check pollution.

He anunced a slew of ro projects for Chhattisgarh and said he believes state will have a ro network similar to that of America in next two years.

"Every year 1.50 lakh deaths due to ro accidents are reported which has w increased to 1.68 lakh. Efforts are on to improve shortcomings in ro engineering and automobile engineering but defective DPR has created a major problem," minister maintained.

He vised government engineers to quit ir jobs and start a good DPR-making company.

"We have been making serious efforts to prevent ro accidents. Nearly 60 per cent victims of ro accidents are d between 18 and 34 years. I would like to urge you to build ros where accidents take place (due to defective engineering works)," he said.

Improvement in ro engineering will curb accidents and save lives, Gkari asserted.

"We have me rules in automobile engineering. If anyone dies in an accident due to ro engineering in future, n I will feel that I am guilty for it," he told participants at event.

Pointing at garing of officials and engineers, minister said tenders should be issued without carefully examining DPR for projects.

Ro safety should be given highest priority to prevent accident deaths, he ded.

Gkari emphasised significance of waste-to-energy techlogies and urged Chhattisgarh to work on producing CNG and bitumen using pdy straw.

Central Ro Research Institute (CRRI) and Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehrun, have developed bio-bitumen from pdy straw and it is being used in Meghalaya , he told garing.

"It (pdy straw) can be used up to 35 per cent in bitumen. country's requirement of bitumen is 90 lakh metric tonnes and capacity of refinery is 40-50 lakh metric tonnes. We are importing 50 lakh metric tonnes," Gkari said.

If Chhattisgarh starts producing bitumen from stubble, it will be a waste-to-wealth move, he said.

Similarly, 400 projects for producing bio-CNG and bio-LNG from pdy straw have started in Punjab and Haryana . If Chhattisgarh will do same, petrol and diesel will be required in state, Union minister opined.

Gkari underlined need to develop robust infrastructure to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's vision of "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" (self-reliant India).