Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Archives - Lokmarg

New Vande Bharat Express Will Be Saffron: Vaishnaw

By LokMarg 8th July 2023

The 28th rake of Indian-built semi-high-speed Vande Bharat Express will be ‘saffron’ in colour, railway officials said on Saturday.

The new saffron Vande Bharat Express is however not yet operational and is currently stationed at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, where Vande Bharat trains are manufactured.

Railways officials told ANI that a total of 25 rakes of Vande Bharat Express are operational on their designated routes and two rakes are reserved. “While the colour of this 28th rake is being changed on a trial basis,” they said.

Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday inspected the Integral Coach Factory here, reviewed safety measures in Southern Railways, and also reviewed improvements in the Vande Bharat Express.

After conducting an inspection, the Union minister said that the new colour of the 28th rake of the indigenous train is “inspired by Indian Tricolour”.

He said that 25 improvements have done in the Vande Bharat trains.

“This is a concept of Make In India, (which means) designed in India, by our own engineers, and technicians. So whatever feedback we are receiving from the field units, regarding ACs, toilets, etc., during the operation of Vande Bharat, all those improvements are being used for making changes in the design,” Vaishnaw said in a press briefing.

“A new safety feature, ‘anti climbers’, or anti-climbing devices, on which we are working, were also reviewed today. These will be standard features in all the Vande Bharat and other trains,” he added.

On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off two new and upgraded versions of Vande Bharat Express trains– Gorakhpur-Lucknow and Jodhpur-Sabarmati–at Gorakhpur Station in Uttar Pradesh, taking the total operational service across the country to a significant milestone of 50.

It is pertinent to note that India’s semi-high-speed train set, now offers its services in all rail-electrified states across the country. With 50 operational services, the Vande Bharat Express has revolutionized rail travel, providing state-of-the-art amenities and reducing travel time for passengers.

The first Vande Bharat Express was flagged off on February 15, 2019, by the Prime Minister, running between New Delhi and Varanasi. Manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, the train set symbolizes the ‘Make-In-India’ initiative and showcases India’s engineering prowess.

The project to manufacture indigenous semi-high-speed train sets began in mid-2017, and within 18 months, the ICF Chennai completed Train-18. India’s first semi-high-speed train was renamed Vande Bharat Express in January 2019 to emphasize its made-in-India status. The train achieved a maximum speed of 180 kmph on the Kota-Sawai Madhopur section. (ANI)

Gadkari Iays Foundation Worth Rs 5,600 Cr Highways In Rajasthan

By LokMarg 4th July 2023

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 11 national highway projects totalling Rs 5600 crore in Rajasthan’s Pratapgarh.

Four national highway projects with a total length of 219 km and costing Rs 3,775 crore were inaugurated.
This six-laning project from Kishangarh to the Gulbapura section on National Highway 48 will accelerate Ajmer and Bhilwara districts’ economic and social development.

The six-laning of the Gulabpura to Chittorgarh section will strengthen the mutual connectivity of the Udaipur, Jaipur and Kota regions of Bhilwara and Chittorgarh districts.

“The construction of a four-lane railway overbridge on National Highway 162A at Fatehnagar will solve the problem of traffic jam at a railway crossing,” a release by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said.

“Construction of high-level bridge on Chambal river in Mandrayal under CRIF was inaugurated today. With the construction of this bridge, connectivity will be maintained between Mandrayal, Karauli in Rajasthan and Sabalgarh in Madhya Pradesh.”

Further, founthe foundation stone of seven projects costing Rs 1,850 crore and total length km was also laid today.

These projects will provide direct connectivity from the famous religious place Nathdwara to Udaipur airport.

“The construction of Pratapgarh bypass will reduce the traffic pressure inside the city. With the construction of the road from Raas to Biaora, the vehicles going towards Bhilwara will be facilitated. Tribal areas of Dungarpur, Udaipur and Banswara region will get better connectivity. With the construction of bypass in Sangwara and Garhi, the distance of Dungarpur-Banswara will be reduced by 10 km.”

Thirteen animal underpasses will be constructed in Todgarh Wildlife Sanctuary on the Beawar-Gomti road for protection of wildlife, the release added.

In Rajasthan, an approval of 74 projects under Central Roads Fund at a cost of Rs 2250 crore was also announced during this program. “The work on these projects will start soon.” (ANI)

I’d Jump Into A Well Rather Than Join Cong: Gadkari

By LokMarg 28th June 2023

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Thursday recalled telling a Congress leader that he would jump into a well rather than join their party.

In an interview with ANI Editor Smita Prakash, Gadkari said that when Congress leader Shrikant Jichkar told him that he was the “right man in the wrong party” and proposed that he join their party, the Union Minister said he would rather jump into a well. Gadkari said that the situation may change, and his party may win or lose elections, but he would stick to his convictions.
“He said it, but I modestly answered him that my party, my conviction, and its future may be good or bad, but I will always stick to my conviction. There is no question of leaving my party at any time. May it lose or win many elections, the situation may change, but I would rather jump into a well than join the Congress,” Gadkari said on the ANI podcast.

Gadkari said, “I have good relations with all parties. Once I received a call from Speaker Om Birla that everyone in Parliament was praising me and speaking highly of my work even though I was not even present. I was in Nagpur then and was called to Delhi. When I went, there were 75 people from all parties present. Every one of them thanked me and congratulated me. Then the Speaker of Parliament said that it was the first time in the history of Parliament that a minister was praised equally by all party members. To this I replied that my ideology was clear, I was a Swayam Sevak of the RSS and a Karyakarta of the BJP, and after all this everyone praised me unanimously, which made me happy.”

Gadkari asserted that he has always done work beyond politics and BJP has taught him to do justice to all.

“I make sure that everyone’s work gets done when it’s important. I have always done that even beyond politics. That is what the BJP has taught us: to do justice to all, and that is what makes us strong. Politics and development should not be mixed up. I am a Karyakarta of the BJP, but the government belongs to the people of the country. That is why Prime Minister Modi said, Sabka Saath Sabka Viswas Sabka Prayas,” Gadkari said.

He said road development has been undertaken in all states beyond politics. Gadkari said that Chief Ministers from South or other states where BJP doesn’t have the state government also come to meet him to discuss developmental projects and he has undertaken most of them.

“The works are being undertaken in all states beyond politics. Mamata ji from Bengal recently came to meet me, and we discussed some projects. Chief Ministers and other officials from southern states also come to meet me and I hold meetings with all of them, and discuss projects to be undertaken there. It doesn’t make us look bad. It makes our government look strong,” the Union Minister said.

He said, “Roads go through all states. One state may be governed by Congress another by BJP. That doesn’t mean I should shut down the road development works. Roads are for the people of India. And I’m not just a BJP minister but a minister of the Government of India. And being in service for the country’s people is my primary duty and responsibility. I will work for those who voted us to power. I will also work for those who didn’t give us the mandate and I will also do work for those who criticize us. Everyone’s work should be done. This is Bharatiya Janata Party’s culture and we work based on that.”

The BJP veteran said that in his 9 years in office, he had done what is good for the people without thought of politics.

“I can assure you that in my 9 years in office, I have not mixed political thoughts with governance. The roads of our country are our assets and the people who travel on these roads are our family. They deserve good roads and proper development. That is our duty, and that is what our politics is intended for,” he said.

Gadkari also slammed the opposition for attacking Veer Savarkar and the syllabus revamp. He said that Savarkar was a revolutionary and we cannot forget the sacrifices and work he has done for the nation. “It is not right to deny all that he has done. The party which brought Emergency and kept many revolutionaries locked up in jail does not deserve to comment,” he said.

Gadkari also claimed that the BJP will be sweeping the upcoming legislative elections in states as well as the general elections in 2024.

Gadkari is called the Highwayman of India due to the transformational change he has brought in the country’s infrastructure and connectivity in the last nine years as minister of road transport and highways.

Gadkari comes from the city of Nagpur where he started his political career as a Karyakarta of Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad. Gadkari is also credited for being the man behind the first ever expressway (Mumbai-Pune) by bringing new technologies into the country and helping private companies to ensure quality work in creating modern infrastructure.

Gadkari is also a strong advocate of sustainable development and his eco-friendly initiatives in road construction have led to the use of garbage in road construction as a raw material.

Before taking charge as union minister, Gadkari donned several hats in the organisation as well as governance and has served as BJP national president from 2009 to 2013 and PWD Minister from 1995-1999 in Maharashtra. (ANI)

6 Airbags Mandatory In Passenger Cars From October Next Year

By LokMarg 29th September 2022

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari approved the proposal mandating a minimum of 6 airbags in passenger cars and said the new rule will come into effect from October 1, 2023.

In a series of tweets Union, Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said the safety of all passengers traveling in motor vehicles, irrespective of their cost and variants, is the foremost priority.
“Considering the global supply chain constraints being faced by the auto industry and its impact on the macroeconomic scenario, it has been decided to implement the proposal mandating a minimum of 6 Airbags in Passenger Cars (M-1 Category) w.e.f 01st October 2023,” tweeted Gadkari.

Earlier in order to enhance the safety of occupants of the motor vehicle against lateral impact, it had been decided to enhance safety features by amending the Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR), 1989.

A draft notification had been issued on January 14, 2022.

” The draft mandated that vehicles of category M1, manufactured after 1st October 2022, shall be fitted with two side/side torso airbags, one each for the persons occupying front row outboard seating positions, and two side curtain/tube airbags, one each for the persons occupying outboard seating positions,” read a statement by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Earlier on September 6, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari highlighted the importance of seatbelts in a car and said that it would be mandatory for all the passengers in a car to wear them.

Sharing a video from an event, the Union Minister said that seatbelts will be mandated.

“It will now be mandatory for all the people sitting in the car to wear a seat belt,” tweeted Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.

In the video, he also highlighted that the safety beeps will now be present for rare seats along with the front seats which will buzz if one doesn’t put on a seat belt.

His remarks came after well-known industrialist and former Tata Sons chairman Mistry died in a road accident near Mumbai on Sunday evening. Reports of him not wearing the rare seat belt soon made rounds after the accident.

According to Palghar Police, Mistry was traveling from Ahmedabad to Mumbai when his car hit the divider. There were four people in the car. Two died on the spot, including Mistry, while the other two were shifted to hospital. (ANI)