Nitin Gadkari blames faulty ‘Project Reports’ for some road accidents after Cyrus Mistry’s death

Former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry was killed in a road accident on Sunday after his car hit a divider in Maharashtra’s Palghar district. While the initial probe says that Mistry was not wearing a read seat belt and the car was travelling at high speed, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari attributed some of the road accidents to faulty project reports and stressed that companies need proper training for preparing detailed project reports for construction of highways and other roads. “Shuruwat wahan se karo. Agar woh sudhrenege nahi, toh poora tumhara satyanash ho jayega (Beginning should be made from DPR. If the companies preparing DPRs do not improve, the problem will reoccur),” he said.

According to National Crime Records Bureau data, over 1.55 lakh lives were lost in road crashes across India in 2021 — an average of 426 daily or 18 every single hour — which is the highest death figures recorded in any calendar year so far. The Road Transport and Highways minister said that the government is encouraging use of new technologies.

“Some DPRs (Detailed Project Reports) prepared by companies are worst and are responsible for road accidents in the country,” Gadkari, who is known for his frank views said at an event. He underlined the need for organising training programme for companies preparing DPRs.

In a lighter vein, the minister said even a new Mercedes car in the hands of an unskilled driver can create problems. Gadkari emphasised on identifying the reasons for delay in the road projects as rising cost of construction due to delay is also an important concern.

Expressing concern over poor quality of road construction in some states, Gadkari said every year state governments are spending Rs 10,000-15,000 crore for repairs of roads. “Every 2-3 years, we are spending money on maintenance of roads…Why are we wasting our money,” he asked.