Akhilesh Srivastava Delivers Keynote Speech at CIDM

Akhilesh Srivastava, the Chief General Manager (CGM) of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), attended a conference on Chemical Industrial Disaster Management (CIDM) on March 14th and March 15th, 2018, at the Conventional Hall of Hyatt Regency, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The event was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani. CGM Akhilesh Srivastava delivered the keynote speech at the event.

The CIDM conference - jointly organised by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, Government of India, Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), National Disaster Management Authority, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Government of Gujarat - was held to promote ideas on making the chemical industry safe.

The ideas included planning superior emergency facilities to effectively manage accidents on production sites and for the transportation of hydrocarbons, chemicals and hazardous wastes. The event has technical sessions on Engineering, Automotive, Pharma, Rubber, Bulk Drug, and Biomedical industries. This conference was a great platform that highlighted some of the primary concerns that are taking place whilst the transportation of these chemicals and other hazardous goods. Even with the implementation of safety measures, there has been a questionable change witnessed by the authorities.

CGM Akhilesh Srivastava spoke on ‘Transportation of Hazardous Chemicals by Road’ at the event on March 14th during the technical session at Ahmedabad. The CGM of NHAI shed light on how the autonomous highway agency is leading a campaign for safety from chemical hazards during transportation. He further highlighted several prospects of the transportation that can be strategised for the smooth and effortless transportation of these goods to their destinations without causing any kind of harm to the other highway users on the way.

Nearly 300 delegates from all over the nation attended the forum. The event hosted expert presentations, panel discussions and more. The technical committee of CIDM invited Akhilesh Srivastava to talk on ‘Transportation of Hazardous Chemicals by Road’ during one of its technical sessions.

The conference also imbued hands-on training to responders, paramedics, and medics during emergencies. Representing the NHAI, the CGM of the Central government’s autonomous wing, Akhilesh Srivastava, attended the congregation and gave his heft to the sustainable growth of chemical industry and explained how roads can contribute to the same.

Besides the initiatives to prevent chemical hazards on roadways and highways, the NHAI, under Srivastava, also is overhauling road infrastructure through other projects. Projects such as Bharatmala Pariyojna are leading towards strengthening the nodal networks in the country. More than 10,000 km of roads and highways are expected to be constructed by the end of 2022 which will not just contribute to the overall growth and development but also promote better connectivity to the other parts of the country. The ambitious roads and highway projects are going to be funded by several government funds and even through highway monetisation.

Under Bharatmala, the NHAI is planning to increase NH connectivity by 77 percent and raising NC corridors to 50. The project will elevate freight movement on highways by 40 percent.

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Harish Bandla is recently graduated from Savitribai Phule Pune University with a degree in marketing and Finance, his interests also include book reading, article writing. You can find him on LinkedIn and G+ as Harish32.