'Follow traffic rule, even my car was fined twice': Gadkari hints at toll relief at Rising Bharat Summit

At the Rising Bharat Summit 2025, Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari stressed the importance of following traffic rules and shared that even his vehicle was fined twice on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link in Mumbai.

“I made the Bandra-Worli sea link. I have a car in Mumbai. I got a challan for it twice. Nobody can escape. The camera catches everything. I had to pay Rs 500," said Gadkari, adding, “People often complain of fine, but they should just not violate rules. Fine is not for revenue generation."

When asked if roads could become toll-free, Gadkari said a new policy to ease the burden on tollpayers is being prepared and will be announced in 8–10 days. "The toll amount will come down by 100%. That’s all I can say for now," he added.

Talking about the goal to cut road accidents by 50 per cent, Gadkari admitted they haven't reached the target yet. He said accidents happen due to issues in both road and vehicle design. While vehicles are now built well, there were problems in road engineering. "We spent ₹40,000 crore to fix accident-prone spots," he said. Under the Raahveer scheme, the government is offering a ₹25,000 reward to those who help accident victims. "We’ve also requested the Prime Minister to approve covering medical expenses for the injured," he added.

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“Another factor is human behaviour. We want people to learn the rules of the road. We are looking to raise the height of the median, which people jump over like Olympic-level athletes, to 3.25ft. We will plant trees to stop people from jumping over it. We are looking to make foot overbridges, which two-wheeler riders and cyclists can use along with pedestrians. Also, we are aiming for a bridge for divyanjan," said Gadkari.