Government working on a project to address both Pollution and traffic jams: Nitin Gadkari

New Delhi [India], December 13 (ANI): Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, on Friday stated that the government is working on a project to address both pollution and traffic jams in the national capital.

Speaking at Times Network’s India Economic Conclave in New Delhi, Union Minister said, “Right now, I am working on a project worth Rs 65 thousand crore in Delhi, which will reduce traffic jams and pollution in the city.”

He, however, admitted that the Transport Department is responsible for around 40 percent of the pollution, adding that the Ministry is working on a project that will address both pollution and traffic jams in the national capital.

“First of all, 40 percent of air pollution is caused by our department. The Transport Ministry is responsible,”Gadkari stated.

“The second thing is that the pollution in Delhi is largely due to the rice straw or ‘stubble’ (straw left after rice harvesting) from the rice fields in Punjab, Haryana, and nearby areas. This amounts to 200 lakh tonnes. We have now decided to start a project in Panipat using this stubble, which will produce 1 lakh liters of ethanol, 150 tonnes of bio-vitamins, and 88 thousand tonnes of bio-aviation fuel. Currently, 400 projects are in process, and 40 of them are already completed. CNG is being produced from parali in these projects. This has resulted in the use of a total of 60 lakh tonnes of parali, which has helped reduce pollution,” he added.

The Minister further added that he has ordered the officials (of Punjab) to work on a scheme in which a value can be created instead of burning the stubble, adding that people are ready to pay Rs 2,500 per tonnes for the stubble.

The Union Minister anticipated that the problems of stubble burning will be solved in next two year.

Going further, he reiterated the need to promote the use of alternative and biofuels.

He said, “The import of fossil fuels is worth Rs 22 lakh crore. If we can bring it down to even 10 lakh crore, the pollution in our country will decrease.”

The minister further highlighted the importance of alternative fuel and electric vehicles, which will equate the cost of diesel and conventional engine vehicles.

He added, “The lithium-ion battery, which was USD 150 per kilowatt-hour, has now come down to USD 110 per kilowatt-hour. The day it reaches USD 100 per kilowatt-hour, the cost of diesel, petrol, and electricity will be the same. This revolution is happening very quickly. And this is the biggest industry that will drive the development of your economy,” he stated, adding that the sector contributes heavily in terms of Goods and Services (GST) taxes.