NEW DELHI: Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari on Thursday recommended registration of a police case against those responsible for faulty detailed project reports (DPRs) for road construction that result in deaths in road accidents.
Gadkari said he had observed ‘thousands of mistakes’ in DPRs and blamed civil engineers for the spike in road accident rates and fatalities across India.
“The most important culprits are civil engineers… I am directly taking the name because after 10 years of my experience, I am coming to this conclusion. The most important culprit is who makes the DPR. And there are thousands of mistakes…persons who are responsible, we should register an FIR against them and take them in custody,” said Gadkari.
The minister was speaking at the Global Road Infratech Summit & Expo (The GRIS 2025) organised by International Road Federation (IRF) India Chapter in Delhi.
Gadkari has been vocal about poor quality of DPRs. In the past too, he has blamed the reports for delay in projects and road accidents. Last year, NHAI created a DPR cell to ensure better construction standards, cost-effectiveness, and timely completion of national highway projects.
Expressing concern over deaths of young citizens in road accidents, Gadkari said, “Because of small civil engineering mistakes, there are hundreds of deaths. I do not know why there is no sensitiveness… bureaucratic systems take years.”
He called upon industry members to develop strategies to enhance road safety. “My first suggestion to you as an international road federation is just take all records and give it to me. I will stamp it, and make it mandatory,” he said.