Gadkari accuses judiciary of trying to direct the Govt

Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari came down hard on courts for recent decisions which put environmental issues ahead of developmental concerns.

At the India Economic Summit, organised by the World Economic Forum and CII, Gadkari said media houses and courts cannot take charge of administration.

Recently, the Supreme Court cancelled the allocation of several coal blocks, many of which had been accused of environmental pollution as well.

Further, the Supreme Court has also been talking tough on industries polluting rivers, especially the Ganga.

“In many cases the way decisions have been taken by courts, they are difficult to implement,” Gadkari said during the Summit, accusing the judiciary of trying to “direct” the Government.

The Minister said that there were economic issues involved with cancelling developmental projects, including project costs, escalation costs, claims and other expenses.

“We need ecology and environment but at the same time we need development. We should have an integrated approach,” he said.

This comes at a time when the Ministry of Environment and Forests is already facing criticism for relaxing several green regulatory norms in favour of pushing industrialisation and growth.

Adding to the Minister’s comments, Ajit Gulabchand, Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Construction Company, said that as long as the process of awarding projects by way of tenders are fair, there shouldn’t be too much interference.

He added that “there is certain kind of irresponsibility” in cancelling projects which have already taken off.

Meanwhile, Gadkari also promised that the pace of development of infrastructure will be improved significantly.

“Within two years our ambition is to build 30 km of road each day,” he said.

The current rate of road construction stands at under 3 km per day, he added.

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