The Union Government, with the active leadership of Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, is seriously working to meet the graver issue of pollution and traffic congestion in Delhi. Speaking at Times Network’s India Economic Conclave in New Delhi on December 13, 2024, Gadkari outlined the major project with an estimated cost of Rs 65,000 crore to meet the two.
Deal with Pollution and Traffic Congestion Simultaneously
Nitin Gadkari, who has taken the country through crucial changes in infrastructure, said that the Transport Ministry is busy working on a complete plan for Delhi to address pollution and traffic problems. Gadkari said that the project would bring a modern transport system in the city and reduce bottlenecks while fighting against the increasing levels of pollution, making Delhi a cleaner and easier place to live in.
While the project promises to have a long-term solution for these issues, Gadkari also accepted the considerable contribution of the Transport Ministry to air pollution. The Ministry, he noted accounts for around 40 percent of the city’s air pollution. As part of their efforts, the government is not only looking at improving traffic flow but also exploring cleaner alternatives for lowering the environmental footprint of the transportation sector.
Tackling Stubble Burning and Pollution from Agriculture
One of the most obvious causes of pollution in Delhi is the burning of paddy stubble from farmers in neighboring states like Punjab and Haryana. Gadkari said that almost 200 lakh tonnes of rice straw are burnt every year that makes the pollution acute particularly during certain seasons.
For this, the government has initiated an innovative project in Panipat which will convert agricultural waste into biofuels. It will convert rice straw into some very valuable biofuels. The list of the converted products includes ethanol 1 lakh litres, bio-vitamins 150 tonnes and bio-aviation fuel 88,000 tonnes. Apart from that, there are 400 such projects in implementation and 40 have already been completed. The initiative has already saved pollution by utilizing 60 lakh tonnes of rice straw and averting the damaging burning of stubble.
A New Stubble Management Approach
Despite the challenges thrown up by stubble burning, Gadkari has tasked the Punjab officials to come up with a more sustainable approach to managing the rice straw. The idea of the government is not to burn the value-added stubble, which can be sold for further processing as biofuels, among others. The agreed upon price is Rs 2,500 per tonne and this will, according to Gadkari, lead to incentive for farmers not to burn fields in the long run.
Selling Biofuels and Alternative Energy Sources
Gadkari said these biofuels and alternative fuels are the only way to bring down pollution as well as to reduce India’s dependency on imported fossil fuels. India imports worth Rs 22 lakh crore of fossil fuels every year; if the nation can decrease this amount by merely Rs 10 lakh crore, then the pollution will also come down. This would be possible by using the biofuels and the electric vehicles, thus reducing its consumption of traditional fossil fuels which increase air pollution to a very significant extent.
The minister stated that the cost of lithium-ion batteries used in electric cars has gone down. From a USD 150 price tag per kilowatt-hour, the rate has reduced to USD 110, and the price is supposed to continue to go down. When the cost will go down to USD 100 per kilowatt-hour, electric cars will become cheaper than their diesel versions and will be commercially viable.
The Future of Alternative Fuels and Electric Vehicles
Expectations are that the transport sector in India is on its way to undergo a complete transformation toward electric vehicle and biofuels. With continued decline in the cost of batteries, electric vehicles are going to be more and more affordable, thereby promoting quicker adoption of cleaner vehicles across the country. Of course, the sector also presents a good growth opportunity for India’s economic development as a whole, generating handsome GST revenues for the country.
It will bring an era of pollution-free, traffic congestion-free Delhi with innovation in infrastructure, biofuels, and electric vehicles. In short, this is going to revolutionize urban mobility in India with the government’s ambitious plans.
Conclusion: A Bright Future for India’s Infrastructure and Environment
The government has continuously been working to enhance the infrastructures in Delhi and the larger transport sector so that pollution, traffic, and climate change issues are solved. Along with alternative fuels, electric vehicles, and smart infrastructure projects in prospect, the road ahead looks promising. With reduced dependencies on fossil fuels, lower pollution levels, and the economy growing, the country will move closer to cleaner energy and more advanced transportation systems. The efforts taken now will pave the way for generations.
As Nitin Gadkari says, “The biggest industry that will drive the development of your economy is the transformation to clean, green, and modern energy.”
Refer :
ANI, Link to article
Also read : India’s Road Accidents: Nitin Gadkari Reveals Alarming Statistics and Causes