Gadkari says cutting vehicular pollution foremost responsibility of all

NEW DELHI, Jul 8: Irked by increased pollution levels in Delhi, Union minister Nitin Gadkari, who is an MP from Nagpur, on Tuesday confessed that he does not feel like visiting the national capital where pollution is leading to decrease in life expectancy of common people.
Gadkari also said it is foremost responsibility of all stakeholders to reduce pollution due to fossil fuels consumed by vehicles on the roads.
“I stay in Delhi for two or three days only, and when I arrive, I start thinking about when I will leave. I book my return tickets first. You should take this issue seriously. The pollution in Delhi has led to a decrease in the life expectancy of common people,” he said while taking part in a plantation drive, ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0’, at Faridabad-Noida International Airport Road in Gautam Buddha Nagar.
The road transport and highways minister said promoting the use of alternative fuels like ethanol and undertaking large-scale plantation drives are the most effective solutions to reduce the pollution, and the government is actively pursuing both.
For environment sustainability, the minister said the government is also effectively utilising waste in road construction and has used around 80 lakh tonnes of waste in road construction.
“We are also prioritising water conservation by adopting measures like rainwater harvesting on our highways,” he added.
An official statement said NHAI has been focusing on creating green corridors by undertaking bamboo plantation, dense plantation and vertical landscaping.
The vision is to saturate plantations along the National Highways collectively by involving various stakeholders to create a green and sustainable National Highway network, it added.
According to an statement, NHAI planted around 67 lakh trees as against the target of 60 lakh plantations during 2024-25. (PTI0

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