Do pothole-ridden, poorly built highways make you agitated? Do you wonder who is responsible for the mess? If Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari manages to execute his plan, you’ll soon know exactly who’s behind those projects which not only make life tough for the common man, but are also the key reason for the loss of several lives every day.
Addressing a conference organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Delhi, Gadkari shared his new plan to fix accountability and transparency in the construction of highways. The minister said he has decided to make the details of everyone involved, from the secretary who sanctions a project to the contractor who executes it, publicly available.
The minister, who faces a lot of flak on social media for the poor quality of some highways, wondered why he should be the only one answering for all that’s wrong. Gadkari said, “Why should the press print only my photo and make me take all the blame? If there’s a road full of potholes, print the contractor’s photo too, the consultant’s, the secretary’s. Why should the noose always hang around my neck alone?”
To deal with the situation, the minister has come up with a novel plan. He said, “I have said, put up a scanner and a signboard on every road so that the public can see who’s in charge, who’s the minister, who’s the secretary, their phone numbers, the contractor’s name, the executive engineer’s details; everything should be listed.”
The Union Minister’s public statement comes just a few weeks after the National Highways Authority of India said that it will install signboards with quick response (QR) codes along the national highways to share relevant project information.
According to the notification issued by the NHAI on October 3, apart from the information regarding the projects, these signboards will also have emergency helpline numbers.
Nitin Gadkari also reiterated his views on taking punitive action against NHAI officials and contractors responsible for poor-quality highway construction. The Road Transport and Highways Minister said that the government was undertaking performance audits of road projects. If the government finds any of the projects lacking in quality, it will “not hesitate to take action against those responsible.”
