File picture of Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport & Highways and MSME

Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport & Highways and MSME, Government of India urged the industry to use waterways as a mode of transportation for goods to reduce cost and become competitive in the export market.
"This is the appropriate time. We have the best technology; economic viability and we need public private investments. To support these, we have government policies," Gadkari said at a conference organised by FICCI. The government has already started the process of introducing Broad gauge metro in railways using the already existing railway network, he said also inviting the private sector to explore and invest in this sector.
Gadkari urged the industry to use waterways transportation as a mode for transporting goods, and called water transport and public transport on electricity as the most economically viable modes.
Gadkari said that the Delhi-Mumbai express highway, part of the 22 green highway project, will be completed in next three years and will reduce travel distance by 280 kms. "In long term, LNG should be used in trucks which will reduce the cost by 40 percent as compared to diesel and CNG for city buses," he added.
Gadkari invited the private sector to come forward to invest in conversion of CNG from stubble and solid waste. He added that government is also working on adopting bio-aviation fuel as fuel option which will be cheaper than petroleum aviation fuel.
He urged FICCI to develop a policy for next 25 years focusing on cost-effective, pollution free, best technology options, ecology and environment, and added that the government is planning to introduce 10,000 electric buses.