The government is working to construct electric highways: Nitin Gadkari

NEW DELHI: Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said on Monday that the government is working on developing solar-powered electric highways that will allow heavy-duty trucks and buses to be charged.
At an event hosted by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC), Gadkari reiterated the government’s desire to develop India’s public transportation system on electricity.

“The government is promoting the use of wind- and solar-based charging methods for electric vehicles.

He said we’re also working on solar-powered electric highways that will allow heavy-duty trucks and buses to be charged while they’re on the road. An electric highway is a road that provides power to vehicles passing through it, including overhead power lines.

Gadkari also stated that the government is actively supporting toll plazas to use solar energy. The minister stated that the road ministry has conducted route optimization exercises all over the expressways and has constructed a modern alignment.

“We are trying to construct 26 green-field expressways,” Gadkari said, highlighting that indeed, architecture boosts economic growth, creates new businesses, and encourages job growth.
With the release of the PM Gati Shakti Grand Plan, he asserts that developments will be resolved rapidly and logistical support will be reduced.

The minister welcomed private investors from the United States to invest in India’s logistics, ropeways, and cable car sectors, stating that India and the United States are natural partners.

He stated that 3 crore trees would be planted along national highways, and that the government is implementing tree planting practises during highway construction and expansion.
“So far, we’ve planted 27,000 trees on national road projects,” he says.
According to Gadkari, the government is working on a new policy called “Tree Bank” that will require authorities such as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) to keep a tree bank account of trees planted during project development.