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Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has said the government is conducting hydrogen fuel trials on 10 transport routes across India as part of its efforts to promote cleaner mobility. Speaking at the Prawaas 5.0 and Bharat Prawaas Awards in Gandhinagar, he described hydrogen as the future fuel for the transport sector and highlighted ongoing initiatives in alternative fuels, road safety, electric mobility and bus manufacturing. Gadkari also called for higher domestic bus production, lower charging costs for electric vehicles, faster approvals for bus body manufacturers and greater private investment in bus terminals to strengthen India's public transport ecosystem.
The Union government is conducting pilot hydrogen fuel trials on 10 transport corridors across the country as part of its strategy to promote cleaner mobility, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said while addressing the Prawaas 5.0 and Bharat Prawaas Awards event in Gandhinagar earlier this week. He said the ministry considers hydrogen to be the future fuel for the transportation industry and is working towards accelerating its adoption.
According to Gadkari, the hydrogen trials are being carried out on the Greater Noida–Delhi–Agra, Bhubaneshwar–Konark–Puri, Ahmedabad–Vadodara–Surat, Sahibabad–Faridabad–Delhi, Pune–Mumbai, Jamshedpur–Kalinga Nagar, Thiruvananthapuram–Kochi, Kochi–Edappally, Jamnagar–Ahmedabad and NH-16 Visakhapatnam–Bayyavaram routes.
The minister said the automobile industry has made significant progress in the development of alternative fuel and biofuel technologies. He expressed confidence that India would emerge as a global leader in the sector by combining technological capability with cost competitiveness. He also encouraged vehicle manufacturers and transport operators to focus on producing buses that offer improved passenger comfort while maintaining affordability and adopting internationally recognised technology standards.
Highlighting road safety as a priority, Gadkari said India records around 5 lakh road accidents and approximately 1.80 lakh fatalities every year. He noted that nearly 66% of those killed are in the 18-36 age group, while road accidents result in an estimated loss of around 3% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). He urged industry stakeholders to work with the government to reduce accidents, adding that Indian automobile manufacturers have made notable progress in vehicle safety and technology. He pointed out that domestic two-wheeler manufacturers currently export nearly 50% of their production.
Gadkari said India's automobile industry has expanded from a valuation of INR 14 lakh crore, when it ranked seventh globally, to approximately INR 22 lakh crore, making it the world's third-largest automobile industry. He added that the sector remains one of the largest contributors to government revenues and has generated employment for around 4.5 crore people. The minister said the government's objective is to elevate India to the top global position in the automobile industry.
The minister also raised concerns over the country's bus manufacturing capacity, stating that India requires nearly three lakh buses annually but domestic manufacturers currently produce only around 70,000 to 80,000 units each year. He called on the industry to significantly increase production to bridge the gap between demand and supply.
Addressing the electric mobility sector, Gadkari urged electric bus manufacturers to pass on the benefits of declining lithium-ion battery prices to consumers. He also said the ministry is working to reduce electricity charging costs, which currently stand at around INR 20, for buses, trucks and passenger vehicles.
Referring to regulatory reforms, Gadkari said the revised bus body code introduced in September last year was aimed at improving passenger safety. He announced that the government has decided to reduce testing charges for bus body manufacturers by 50% and shorten approval timelines from 16 weeks to six weeks, benefiting more than 600 manufacturing units employing around 75,000 people.
The minister added that the ministry is also working on the development of private bus ports and said the expansion of green express highways would reduce travel time while improving operational efficiency, turnover and profitability for the transportation sector.
Source - PTI
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