PUNE: Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday said the Mumbai-Pune Expressway has remained pothole-free 27 years after its construction, while taking a swipe at social media criticism following a recent incident involving the expressway’s missing link.“I built the Mumbai-Pune Expressway 27 years ago. It’s still pothole-free, but nobody writes about it. However, when a structure at the missing link collapsed recently, I got trolled on social media, despite it being a state government project,” Gadkari said at the ‘Festival of Thinkers’ organised by Symbiosis International University in Pune.“Guess social media is good for quality control,” the BJP leader said, adding that the forest department had not granted permission for construction of the missing link at the time.The 13.3-km missing link project, aimed at bypassing the steep mountain pass section of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, was inaugurated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in May. The project is intended to improve road safety and reduce travel distance between Mumbai and Pune.In July, a landslide occurred near the entrance of Tunnel 2 of the missing link following heavy rain.Gadkari stressed the need to use technology to monitor infrastructure and detect defects before they become serious. He suggested using drones, artificial intelligence, LiDAR and satellite technology for road inspections.Recalling the construction of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Gadkari said he had initially pushed for an eight-lane road after anticipating future traffic growth. However, he later felt that infrastructure planning needed an even longer-term vision after seeing highways in other countries.“When I saw roads in other countries, I thought we should have planned at least a 40-lane road. Recently, I constructed a 40-lane road between Delhi and Meerut,” he said.Gadkari said infrastructure projects should be planned for the next 25 to 50 years rather than being designed only to meet current requirements.He said better infrastructure supports economic growth by boosting industry, trade, tourism and employment, while reducing transportation costs and improving farmers’ access to markets.The minister also highlighted the role of research, innovation, technology, entrepreneurship and skill development in India’s economic growth, describing “knowledge to wealth” as an important pathway for the country’s future.Gadkari said India’s automobile sector has expanded significantly with advances in electric vehicles, alternative fuels and biofuels, creating potential for large-scale employment and higher exports.He also stressed that development must be balanced with environmental protection and sustainable growth. Addressing students, he emphasised the importance of combining knowledge with ethics, integrity, quality and reliability, and advised them to avoid shortcuts.On Pune’s infrastructure needs, Gadkari said projects worth around Rs 60,000 crore are planned for the city. He said the government is exploring innovative financing models and that a long-term approach would be essential to meet Pune’s growing infrastructure requirements.(With PTI inputs)
