NEW DELHI: Road transport minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday slammed engineers, consultants and contractors for having the least concern for safety of road users. He also pulled up agencies for failing to put good signage and markings on roads.
Addressing Global Road Infratech Summit and Expo (GRIS), Gadkari said that after years of being the road transport minister he has realised that most of the road accidents “happen in the country due to small civil mistakes, faulty DPRs and nobody is held accountable”.
He said, “Even small things like road signages and marking systems are very poor in India. We need to learn from countries like Spain, Austria and Switzerland.”
Gadkari pointed out that poor quality DPRs are made in India, holding engineers largely responsible for the rise in the number of road crashes due to inadequate planning and design. “This gives me a feeling that basically the engineers are responsible for increasing road accidents. So, the main problem is road engineering and defective planning, and defective DPRs,” he said.
They urged the industry and government to collaborate on solutions to prevent road crashes, emphasising the importance of education in building safer infrastructure and promoting safer driving habits. He also flagged concerns over poor enforcement of law.
Speaking at the event, K K Kapila, president emeritus of International Road Federation (IRF), said, “By prioritising safety in every aspect of road design, construction, and management, the summit seeks to move towards a future where road accidents become a rarity, ultimately aiming for zero fatalities.”