Hasten road development, says Gadkari

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday called for fast tracking road development to tackle the ever increasing traffic pressure and skyrocketing accidents.

“We must greatly hasten the speed for building new roads including express highway networks and widening, maintaining and repairing existing roads,” said Gadkari in the inaugural ceremony of a national workshop on Road Asset Management System (RAMS), according to an official statement.

He said that RAMS is being developed for the entire highway infrastructure in India for modern, digitalized asset management system of roads which will use GAGAN and BHUVAN satellite systems to prepare a 360 degree mapping of Indian road assets.

The World Bank-funded project will facilitate timely repair of roads, accurate and scientific planning and finalization of road projects, maintenance of roads and road safety execution among others, the statement added.

(IANS)