Union Minister Nitin Gadkari Monday said he felt “ashamed” that despite being a government agency, his own ministry had to wait nine months to get approvals for a “simple automated parking lot”. Gadkari made the statement Monday while laying the foundation stone for the first-ever automated multilevel parking lot in a government building.

“The Prime Minister was interested in the project… When he asked me how it was progressing, I felt ashamed to tell tell him that we were not able to get clearances,” said Gadkari.

The Union Transport Minister said it took his ministry nine months just to acquire clearances from various ministries for the project.

However, Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu assured Gadkari that the process of acquiring clearances will become faster.

“We are looking into ‘ease of approvals… I held a meeting with various ministers, such as civil aviation and culture. By next month, everything will be online… It should not have taken nine months to get clearances,” said Naidu.

Gadkari also announced several projects to decongest the city’s roads and reduce pollution levels. “Apart form the eastern-western corridors, the Prime Minister wants us to decongest Delhi as well. Spots prone to accident will be reduced. Eight arterial roads will be constructed to and from Dhaula Kuan to Manesar,” he said.

Transport Bhawan on Parliament Street will be the first government building to have an automated multi-level car parking facility on its premises. The project is being undertaken by NHIDCL.

The facility will comprise ground plus seven floors. Spread over an area of 314 sqm, and with a height of 22 metres, the facility will be able to house 112 cars.

Gadkari forms panel to prepare policy for diesel taxi drivers

Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has formed an apex committee to prepare a policy framework and said he would take up the case of Delhi’s diesel taxi operators before the Supreme Court.

The government is planning to file a review petition at the earliest before the apex court, said sources. The minister also met Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Delhi Legislative Assembly Vijender Gupta, along with taxi operators.

“The Committee will comprehensively place the case of Delhi’s transport operators before the Supreme Court. The meeting chaired by the road transport minister was attended by top officials from the ministry, including technical experts. Gadkari has assured he would take steps to defend the cause of taxi operators,” stated Gupta.

He added that the Union Minister was apprised of the difficulties being faced not only by taxi operators, but by the public as well.

“There are 35 lakh vehicles in Delhi that run on diesel and petrol. But the ban has been imposed on just 25,000 taxis. The Enforcement Department of the Delhi government is impounding these taxi…,” said Gupta.

The committee will be headed by union road transport secretary Sanjay Mitra.