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Air pollution in the national capital is a major concern. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Monday that Delhi's pollution levels are so high that staying in the city for three days can lead to infections. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari highlighted the alarming pollution levels in Delhi and Mumbai, stating that both cities are currently in the red zone.
He emphasises the need for significant efforts to address air and water pollution in the coming period. "In Delhi, pollution is very high. If you stay in Delhi for three days, you will get some infection.
As per a medical conclusion, Delhi pollution is reducing the average life of a citizen by 10 years," Gadkari said at an event here. Also Read | Lung Cancer Cases In Never-Smokers On The Rise, Air Pollution Could Be Driver: Lancet Report Environment concerns is critical to national development alongside infrastructure growth He stressed that along with infrastructure development, addressing environmental concerns is also important for national development. "Ethics, economy, ecology and environment are important for Indian society but we have not taken the environment issue seriously," he said, as quoted by PTI .
The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways said road development is a key strategy to address pollution and reduce logistics costs. "We import nearly Rs 22 lakh crore worth of fossil fuel. Petrol and diesel are major contributors to pollution.
Traffic jams need to be solved. There is need for change in fuel used in vehicles. I am supporting alternative fuels like a crusader.
I want to save on the Rs 22 lakh crore worth of fossil fuel imports and put Rs 10-12 lakh crore into the pockets of farmers," he said. Read More | Air Pollution Behind 1.5 Million Deaths A Year Between 2009 And 2019: Lancet Study Gadkari said India's aim of becoming a USD 5 trillion economy would require world-class infrastructure across water, power, transport, and communication and asserted the government is working to reduce logistics costs, which currently stand at 14-16 per cent.
"China's logistic cost is 8 per cent, US and EU 12 per cent, but we have 14-16 per cent. We want to bring it down to single digit. By January next year, logistics cost would come down to 9 per cent from 16 per cent," he said.
Talking about major infrastructure projects, he said a direct road will connect to Pune bypass from JNPT near the Atal Setu. "It will be three times wider than the existing Mumbai-Pune expressway. From there, it will be connected further to Pune-Bengaluru national highway, bringing Mumbai-Bengaluru travel time to just five hours.
The work has commenced," he said. "Mumbai-Delhi travel time has also reduced significantly. Mumbai to Delhi roadway duration is nearly 48 hours, but now Nariman Point to Delhi has almost come down to 12 hours.
The road construction is nearly complete. Some patches in Maharashtra are still pending," he said. The Union minister said road works costing Rs 1 lakh crore are ongoing in Delhi, with an additional Rs 50,000 crore in projects proposed.
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