New Delhi: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday blamed the faulty project reports for road accidents and said that companies need proper training for preparing detailed project reports (DPRs) for construction of highways and other roads.
Gadkari, known for his frankness, said that the Government has been encouraging use of new technologies for building the road infrastructure, “However, some DPRs prepared by companies are worst and are responsible for road accidents,” Gadkari said at an event here.
Underlining the need for conducting training programmes for companies preparing DPRs, Gadkari said, “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.
Apparently referring to the accident that killed former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry, the minister in a lighter vein said even a new Mercedes car in the hands of an unskilled driver can create problems.
Gadkari emphasised on identifying reasons for delay in the road projects and said that the delay in construction was an important factor for escalation of cost. “The construction firms and the officials must look in to it as it is an important concern,” the Minister said.
Former Tata Sons chairman 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 (NCRB) 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.
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.
