Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Sep 13: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari arrived nearly an hour late for the 22nd Indo-American Corporate Excellence Awards ceremony in Mumbai after getting stuck in traffic, joking that he was “paying for my mistake”.
Addressing the gathering, Gadkari said he had been caught in traffic for nearly an hour while travelling from Worli to the hotel where the event was being held.
“Today I got late by an hour to reach here for this programme because I got stuck in the traffic from Worli to this hotel. It took me one extra hour,” he said.
Reflecting on Mumbai’s traffic challenges, Gadkari recalled that between 1992 and 2000, he had facilitated the construction of 55 flyovers, the Bandra-Worli Sea Link and the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
He said those projects were necessary at the time, but construction technology had since advanced considerably and newer approaches were now required to address the city's growing traffic problems.
“But that is actually me paying for my mistake,” Gadkari said, drawing laughter from the audience. “From 1992-2000, I got a chance to construct 55 flyovers, the Bandra-Worli Sea Link and the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, but at that time this technology was not available,” he added.
Gadkari suggested that multi-level flyovers could be developed to overcome bottlenecks created by existing infrastructure. He said roads at different levels, with a metro line at the top, could potentially be constructed on a single pier.
The Union Minister also highlighted technology and infrastructure as key drivers of India's development and said there was significant potential to strengthen cooperation between India and the United States in technology, industry and investment.
“India possesses a vast pool of talented engineers and entrepreneurs; the US boasts strong technological capabilities and resources. Combining the strengths of both nations could create a ‘win-win’ situation,” he said.
Gadkari also stressed the importance of entrepreneurship in generating employment and boosting capital investment, industry and business in the country. He said poverty could not be addressed without creating adequate employment opportunities.
He further highlighted India's growing capabilities in electric vehicles and battery technology. According to him, battery costs have declined, while research and development are also progressing in alternative technologies such as sodium-ion, zinc-ion and aluminium-ion batteries.