Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday informed Parliament that over 100 bridges in different parts of the country are on the verge of collapse and need immediate attention.
The road transport ministry has completed safety audit of 1.6 lakh bridges, including 98,000 bridges on National Highways, and found more than 100 structures in a dilapidated condition, the minister said during Question Hour in the Lok Sabha.
The ministry had last year launched a special project to create data of all bridges and culverts as part of the steps to avert mishaps after two state-run buses and some private vehicles were swept away in the Savitri river in the Konkan region of Maharashtra after a British-era bridge collapsed.
The ministry is also working on a scheme to build new bridges in place of dilapidated ones.
Amenities on highways
The government will soon set up wayside amenities every 50 km on national highways for passengers and truckers, Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said here on Thursday.
The facilities will include parking areas, food courts, restrooms and kiosks for sale of local specialties and will help battle unemployment, the minister said. The ministry is working on the policy draft and will unveil it soon.
Published 03 August 2017, 19:20 IST