Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the country’s first Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facility plant at Nagpur today. At the inauguration, Gadkari emphasized on importance of alternate biofuels for diversification of agriculture towards the energy and power sector
Gadkari said, “In our economy, we are spending Rs 8 lakh crores for the import of petrol diesel and petroleum products which is a big challenge.” The Minister further said that they have designed a policy that encourages the development of imports substitute cost-effective pollution-free and indigenous ethanol, bio CNG, LNG and hydrogen fuels.
He said the ministry is constantly working on different alternative fuels. He said we have to use the surplus in rice, corn and sugar to prevent it from going to waste.
Talking about flex engines, Gadkari said the decision will be taken in three months making it mandatory for automobile manufacturers particularly four-wheelers and two-wheelers to make flex engines. He said several countries like USA, Canada and Brazil already have them. The cost of the vehicle remains the same whether it is petrol or Flex engine, the Union Minister added.
Meanwhile earlier this month, Gadkari said he wants to make Auli, a hill station situated in Uttarakhand, an attraction for tourists across the world. Addressing a virtual event, Gadkari also said he is planning to develop a landscape between the 18-km-stretch of Zojila tunnel in Ladakh and Z-Morh tunnel in Jammu & Kashmir like world-famous Davos in Switzerland.
“We want to develop Auli in Uttrakhand near Badrinath and Kedarnath as an attraction for tourists across the world,” he said. The small-yet-picture-perfect town of Auli is India’s premier ski resort destination
Gadkari’s ministry will also seek the nod of the Union Cabinet for allowing the construction of smart cities, townships, logistic parks and industrial clusters along national highways.
Addressing a virtual event recently, Gadkari said his ministry’s goal was to construct a world-class highway network and has chalked out a plan for monetising existing highway projects for infra capital generation. The minister said his aim was to construct a 60,000-km world-class national highway at the rate of 40 km per day.
“And now we have prepared a cabinet note for approval ….for making roadside townships, smart cities, logistic parks, industrial clusters,” he said. “We are making 400 roadside amenities,” Gadkari added while addressing the 16th Annual Conference on “Road Development in India”.
