Central Minister of Transport Nitin Gadkari caused a wide resonance with his statement regarding speed limits and the issuance of fines on highways. He instructed relevant officials not to send fine notifications to drivers traveling at speeds up to 120 kilometers per hour on highways.
Furthermore, Gadkari proposed offering an additional twenty percent discount even when exceeding 120 km/h, and that fines should only be issued upon further increase in speed. These statements were made by Gadkari during an event of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
During his speech at the CII event, which focused on the future of India's road network and transport issues, Gadkari noted that many drivers receive warnings due to high speeds. He strongly requested officials refrain from sending speeding tickets for speeds up to 120 km/h. Moreover, he mentioned the possibility of exempting drivers from penalties even when exceeding the set speed by twenty percent, emphasizing that fines should only be applied upon significant excess of the limit.
This statement became a subject of discussion because the limit on highways is set at 120 km/h. If a 20 percent discount is provided, the actual speed could rise to approximately 144 km/h. However, it is important to understand that the minister recommended not to fine if the speed exceeds 120 km/h by more than 20 percent, rather than setting a new limit of 144 km/h. He reminded that speed control is a crucial driving rule.
To improve traffic flow and enhance safety on highways, Gadkari also emphasized the need to strengthen the AI-based Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS). He appealed to the industry for cooperation in implementing this system, which would allow monitoring vehicles on highways and detecting violations such as lane deviation.
Gadkari also commented on the criticism related to adding ethanol to gasoline. He called protests against E20 gasoline 'planned propaganda.' According to him, since 2022, about 40 million cars and 20 million two-wheelers have been using E20 fuel. He questioned whether any vehicle could break down with such mass use of the fuel. Gadkari added that after the recent noise surrounding ethanol blending, the issue has calmed down.
