Feel ‘helpless’ in putting pending projects on track: Gadkari

Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday expressed “helplessness” in putting projects pending due to environmental regulations and judicial stay on track in time, but asserted that the number of such projects has declined since the NDA government took over. Responding to concerns expressed by some members in the Lok Sabha during Question Hour, he urged all political parties to adopt an “integrated approach” and said they should “formulate a resolution” vis-a-vis the 1980 Forest Act.

“Sometimes I am also helpless. Sometimes I am embarassed that I cannot give resolution,” he said as Joice George, an independent member from Kerala, Gopal Shetty (BJP) and Kantilal Bhuria (Cong) among others spoke about highway projects related to their states.

Gadkari also said that projects costing Rs 25,000-30,000 crore were stuck now, compared with over Rs 3.8 lakh crore when the BJP-led government took over.

He said pending projects were a major reason for accidents and added that over 5 lakh accidents occur and 1.56 lakh die due to this.