NEW DELHI (TIP): In a stern warning to lethargic bureaucrats, Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday asked them not to become obstacles in developing infrastructure by sitting on files. Sources said as the government aims to develop massive infrastructure projects in various sectors, including road, railways and ports, investors always complain against bureaucratic hurdles for clearing the projects.

“Those who do not want to work, please take VRS. We need people with positive attitude….mindset needs to be changed. Performance audit will be conducted.

“We will not hesitate to penalise those who do not work. Leave negative attitude. Red tapism would not be tolerated,” Gadkari said at a workshop on Road Asset Management for National Highways under a World Bank-funded project.

Setting a goal of 100 km road construction a day, the minister said bureaucratic dragnet and red-tapism would no longer be tolerated and such officials would be thrown out to cleanse the system. “The world is ready to invest in India, especially in the highways sector, but we are not able to utilise our budgetary allocation. For work worth Rs 5 lakh crore to get rolling, we need faster clearances, quick project report preparations but there are officials sitting on files, not taking decisions. We have to build 100 km of roads a day and unless we bring fast-track projects, this is not possible. The road construction pace has reached 18 km a day now from 2 km when I took over the reins of the ministry,” he added.