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New Delhi: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari (Photo: PTI)
In a lighter vein, Gadkari said that in some tunnel projects, European companies have even selected Indian partners who run catering services or beauty parlours for the construction work.
We need to have a cost-effective, sustainable solution for the development of tunnels across India. We need to improve quality of construction while reducing cost of construction: Shri @nitin_gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways at the 2nd Edition of TUNNELING… pic.twitter.com/OXYvzBkkxK
— FICCI (@ficci_india) September 3, 2024
‘Need sustainable solution’: Gadkari
He also emphasised that while technical and financial parameters should be flexible, they should not compromise on quality. “We need to have a cost-effective, sustainable solution.”
“I probably should not be using the word ‘culprit’ but I will…,” he said, criticising the DPR makers for their “lack of oversight during the process of constructing tunnels.” He blamed their negligence for incidents like landslides during such projects and emphasised on the need to check frequent landslides in Uttarakhand and other Himalayan areas.
‘Reducing logistics can boost exports’: Gadkari
Gadkari also said that India could increase its exports by around 1.5 times if logistics costs are reduced to 9 per cent. According to estimates from the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), India’s logistics costs were between 7.8 per cent and 8.9 per cent of GDP in the financial year 2021-22.
At the event, Dinesh Chand Deshwal, Commissioner-Railway Safety (Northern Circle), noted that it was not possible to eliminate the possibility of any failure in the tunnelling process because of geology surprises.
(With agency inputs)
First Published: Sep 03 2024 | 5:09 PM IST
