Quality project reports, fast-track decision making needed to make India's road network No.1 in world: Gadkari

BHUBANESWAR: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Friday urged the road engineers and project heads to focus on quality and future-ready detailed project reports (DPRs) and fast-track decision making to make Indias road network No.1 in the world. Taking a potshot at the age-old bad practice of awarding the lowest quotation for DPRs, the minister asked when people need heart surgery, do they float a tender and go to the doctor who is the cheapest? If you need a good restaurant for quality food, why do you go to a substandard agency to get the DPRs prepared? DPR is the backbone of a project and it must be perfect to ensure quality, he said while inaugurating the 84th Indian Roads Congress (IRC) at Janata Maidan here. As per the usual practice, Gadkari said, the DPRs are prepared by those who quoted the lowest in the bid and there is no technical examination of these reports before the tenders are floated. Mandatory reports related to the construction are not signed for years and contractors are made to work. When they get exhausted after running from pillar to post to get their bills paid and their working capital is drained out, they are rejected. This should not happen. We need to change such practices and procedures that are creating hurdles in the progress. Perfect DPRs will also help curb road fatalities, he said. The Union minister emphasised that performance audit is more important than financial audit. The economic growth rate of the country has increased due to the ever expanding road network. It will exceed further if the system works in tandem with a focus on transparency and commitment to meet the project timelines. Road engineers hold a pivotal role in the transformation. From DPRs to designing hassle-free and safety-assured highways, their technical precision determines the quality of the infrastructure, he said. Quoting American President John F Kennedy who once said American roads are not good because America is rich, but America is rich because American roads are good, Gadkari observed that trade, business and industry flourish where roads are built and capital investment comes where industries are encouraged. Accordingly, employment is generated where capital investments come and development takes place where there is no dearth of employment, he said. Acknowledging IRCs 90 years of experience of preparing guidelines, setting standards and design practices, the highways minister urged the apex body of engineers to make it a full-fledged professional organisation with global benchmark. The government will support in this endeavour. There is no dearth of money and resources. The problem lies in expenditure. A fast-track decision-making process is the need of the hour if we want to make our country an economic powerhouse of the world, he said. India is the fastest growing economy and to make it the third largest economy in the world, Gadkari said, the country needs to have world standard infrastructures like road, water, power, communication and transportation. The use of bio-bitumen and recycled plastic waste in highway construction will further enhance durability, sustainability and cost efficiency, aligning with the vision of eco-conscious development, he maintained. Our mission is to create world-class infrastructure founded on innovation and sustainable practices. Trust should be on to ensure 100 per cent quality and a plan to reduce the construction cost. A lot of waste material is available and we need to have a policy through which we can use the waste materials. IRC is the soul of India's running engineering. We need ownership, a serious approach, commitment to quality and transparency and a corruption free system, he said and urged engineers to prepare a new futuristic vision to achieve the goal of a developed India by 2047. Expressing concern over rising road fatalities, the Union minister asked road engineers for better planning and becoming sensitive towards road safety. Road accidents are claiming 1.8 lakh lives every year. Your ownership, your initiative and correct road engineering can save lives. The focus must be on identifying the black spots and rectifying them. Those who design roads should first make them friendly for the users. The road geometry has to be improved, he said and advised engineers not to always look at their bosses and listen to what they say. If your conscience tells you that this should be rectified or done, go and tell at the highest level. You must also take responsibility for the change, he added. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the road density in Odisha is less than the national average and urged Gadkari to sanction more projects keeping in mind the state's vision for a Vikasita Odisha @ 2036. He thanked the minister for the approval of road projects worth around Rs 13,000 crore earlier this year. Minister for Works, Law and Excise Prithiviraj Harichandan, chief secretary Manoj Ahuja, IRC president Prof Manoranjan Parida, principal secretary of Works Sanjay Kumar Singh and organising secretary Manas Ranjan Behera also spoke.