The Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated two exhibitions, ‘The Highway Saga: Past Present & Future’ and ‘Safe Road & Inter State Highways Transforming India (SRISHTI)’ at the Vigyan Bhawan Lawns in New Delhi today. The exhibitions are part of the three day India Integrated Transport and Logistics Summit (IITLS) being organized by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways from 3rd to 5th of May, 2017.The Highway Saga: Past, Present & Future is an exhibition depicting the evolution of road transport in India. The pavilion is divided into three distinct sections- past, present and future. The sections exhibit the modes of transportation used during Indus Valley Civilization and through the years into the current times. The famous Bhatan Tunnel of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway is on exhibit. Live models of instruments used for road construction in the past are also on display. The present section has the best of the roadways & highways constructed in India displayed on the panels in the form of hoardings. These include the Golden Quadrilateral, National Highway 44 and various other unique highways.
The highlight of the section is the Google maps of three regions that show the development of roads over a period of time and the rising traffic congestion and the building of roads to ease congestion. The future section shows some of the upcoming and futuristic developments like Hyper Loop, Passenger Rapid Transit and Amphibian Buses. LIDAR technology involved in road development is on display with actual LIDAR instruments for everyone to see and experience. IT initiatives taken by MORTH regarding implementation of many services online are also on display.The pavilion on road safety - Safe Road & Inter State Highways Transforming India (SRISHTI) pavilion – is a fun and interactive pavilion that seeks to enhance ones awareness of road safety issues. The pavilion opens into a maze that the visitor has to negotiate with the help of road signs. Follow the correct signs- you are through, if you do not know your road signs you end up against a blank wall. The pavilion has many creatives emphasizing safety in driving. There are giant mobile phones, helmets, seat belts , bottle, speedometer, ambulance etc on display to alert one about issues regarding safety in driving. This pavilion also has a car simulator to test one’s driving skills, game to test your knowledge on road signs and a warning film emphasizing accidents that occur in India.
Speaking on the occasion Shri Gadkari said that India has, for the first time, started planning for an integrated, multi-modal transport system. He said there is an urgent need for integrated transport planning to bring down the logistics cost in the country. Shri gadkari further said that the summit will bring together all stakeholders concerned with the logistics sector to plan such a development. Many MoU are expected to be signed during the three day summit.The IITLS is envisaged as a platform for all stakeholders in transport and logistics sectors to come together and initiate collaborative partnerships to realize the various greenfield and brownfield opportunities in logistic parks, freight corridors and IT solutions. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) had undertaken a study, called the Logistics Efficiency Enhancement Programme (LEEP), which has identified four key solution themes to improve the state of logistics in India. These are, freight corridor upgradation, logistics park development, seamless interstate movement and electronic toll collection systems.
Taken together, these initiatives are expected to reduce India's logistics costs and bring them closer to the accepted global benchmarks from the current high levels of 13-14% of GDP. The Ministry plans to develop 35 Multimodal Logistics Parks (MMLPs) in India which will, cater to 50% of the freight movement, enable -10% reduction in transportation costs and -12% reduction in C02 emissions. Land parcels have been identified and pre-feasibility studies initiated on six of these locations. The government is also working to formulate a uniform policy for the development of MMLPs. The Summit will be inaugurated by the Ministers for Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Shri Nitin Gadkari on 4th May 2017. Shri P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, Minister of Railways and H.E. Sultan Bin Sulayem, Chairman and CEO, DP World will also address the inaugural session of the summit. MoS MoRTH Shri P. Radhakrishnan and Shri Mansukh L. Mandaviya will also be present.