The Centre is planning to lay concrete roads in areas prone to natural disasters.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will appoint an expert committee and open a new section in the National Highways Authority of India to explore the possibility of constructing concrete roads in areas prone to natural disasters.
"There is a need to build roads, bridges and tunnels as per international norms in areas prone to heavy rainfall and landslides. We are considering building concrete roads," Gadkari said.
Concrete roads are more durable than tar roads and are more resistant to the effects of weather, he said.
According to NDTV, Himachal Pradesh Public Works Department minister Vikramaditya Singh last week said that Gadkari had assured him that the centre would sanction Rs 300 crore for reconstructing damaged roads and bridges connecting national highways in the state.
During the recent rains and landslides, roads were washed away in many states, including a huge chunk of a road along the Jammu-Srinagar Highway.
In July, 11 members of a family went missing, after a flash flood in Kullu. At least 300 travellers were stuck in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh district in June after a crucial road was washed away following a landslide.