Union Minister of Road Transport Nitin Gadkari announced that diesel buses used in public transport will be phased out within the next five years and replaced by electric buses
Speaking at an Engineers Day program organized by the Alumni Association of COEP Technological University in Pune, Gadkari said, “I can confidently tell you that after five years, you will not see diesel vehicles in public transport, but you will have 100 per cent electric buses.”
While clarifying that he is not opposed to petrol and diesel, Gadkari emphasized the economic burden of importing these fuels. “I am not against petrol and diesel. But these fuels are problematic from an economic point of view because of import costs,” he added.
The minister noted that his stance on reducing dependency on fossil fuels has concerned Arab countries, but stressed that India must prioritize its own economy and environment. He highlighted the growing sales of CNG cars in India and the significant potential of the ethanol economy.
No driverless cars in India
Gadkari also expressed his opposition to the introduction of driverless cars in India. “As long as I am here as a minister, driverless cars will not come to India. Twenty-two lakh people are employed in this sector, and they would become jobless. We need to develop our technology and economy, but employment must not suffer,” he said.
The minister also shared his vision for expanding India’s automobile industry, which is currently the third-largest in the world after the US and China.
“I recently met with officials from the automobile industry association and told them that India needs to grow its automobile industry to be worth Rs 55 lakh crore. The growth path is difficult but not impossible,” Gadkari stated.
He highlighted that all major global automobile players, except one, are present in India, which benefits from a talented pool of young engineers. Gadkari also announced that tenders for the 14-lane Mumbai-Bengaluru highway have been issued, with construction set to begin within the next six months.