PUNE, Aug 20 (TOI): Union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday said the central government was in the process of bringing in a law to scrap regional transport offices (RTO) and replacing them with an efficient alternative system in the next few months.

Gadkari, who was delivering the J S Karandikar memorial lecture organized by the Pune Union of Working Journalists (PUWJ) here, said, "There are some outdated laws and systems which need to be scrapped. Systems like RTOs will soon be abolished; there is no need for RTOs. We have prepared a law which will be introduced soon to replace RTOs."

Alleging harassment of citizens at the RTOs, Gadkari said, " Tithe Laxmi darshanacha khel chalto (money rules there)." The minister said a system employing new technology would be introduced to nab traffic violators. "Under the system, you will be served a notice at your doorstep if you break a traffic rule. And if you go to court against the notice and lose the case, you will have to pay three times the fine," he said. The government was preparing a plan to improve traffic in urban areas with the help of the traffic models in the UK and other countries, he said.

Gadkari came down heavily on social organizations and NGOs, saying they were a hurdle to development. "There are microscopic minorities that stop ongoing works and get excessive coverage in the media. With such a mentality, how can we get investments and move forward?" he asked. He claimed that power, mining and infrastructure projects were pending because of non-clearance from the forest and environment departments. He said major road projects were also pending because land acquisition had become a tedious procedure.

"I have promised the PM that within two years, I will give the nation 2% GDP from the port and road sector. There are difficulties along the way and expectations are high, but we are confident that we will be able to fulfill all promises. The people have rejected communal politics and divisive agendas and have voted for development," he said.