Gadkari seeks environment ministry's approval to build wider hill roads

Accidents can be avoided in Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, says union minister

Road transport and highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday asked the environment ministry to approve wider roads in hills to avoid accidents.

Gadkari, who was speaking at the National Highway Excellence Awards, said he intends to bring road accidents down by 50 per cent in the next two years as he cited the disproportionate number of crashes on national highways.

“Uttarakhand highways are only 3.7 metres wide, beyond that we don’t get permission. Every year, 350-400 people die due to insufficient-sized highways and buses falling off. We must have at least two-lane paved shoulder national highways, and if the environment