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Time of India

Rs 25,000 will be given to people who help accident victim's: Nitin Gadkari

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday while addressing Yatra Kavach 2025 event announced that the tendering process for four highways with automated systems has been started, paving the way for zero queues at the toll gates. 'We have started the tendering process for four highways and it will be rolled out across the country. It will be a completely automated system which will end the queues at the toll gates,' said Gakdari at the event. 'There will be a six inch pipe at the entry which would be fitted with cameras and scanners which can read your FASTag and the toll would be deducted only for the distance travelled," said the minister. Speaking on road accidents, Gadkari said that nearly 1.80 lakh people lose their lives in such incidents every year. At least 65% of these victims are young people aged between 18 to 34 years, underscoring the vulnerability of the nation's youth on the roads. 'This is a shocking reality. We are losing more lives on our roads than in riots or pandemics,' Gadkari said, emphasising the urgency of improving road safety measures in the country. Additionally, Gadkari has ruled out any subsidy or support to the industry with relation to Research and Development (R&D) into the crash barriers. 'Instead of providing subsidies we can purchase them, as there is a huge demand for them which will help the manufacturer. We are constructing around 40-50 highways and all of them would be access controlled, generating a large demand for crash barriers, like Gorakhpur to Siliguri and Chennai to Delhi,' said Gadkari. The Union Minister also confirmed that several companies have now started making crash barriers with materials like bamboo, timber and GRP( Glass Reinforced Plastic) which will also reduce steel consumption.