‘Mandatory for trucks to have AC cabins for drivers from 2025,' says Nitin Gadkari

Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport & Highways, on Tuesday said that all trucks will now need to have air-conditioned driver compartments starting 2025.

While addressing a crowd at an event organised by Mahindra Logistics, Gadkari said on Monday that he wanted to introduce air conditioners in truck cabins from the day he took charge as minister.

However, as per Gadkari, his vision wasn’t realised as people were complaining about higher costs of the trucks.

“But before coming to this event today, I have signed the file that mandates air conditioning in truck driver compartments. We must ensure that people who drive the trucks are well taken of,” Gadkari said.

The Union Minister assured that the Centre is doing its best to improve wayside amenities on national highways.

He said that his Ministry is making 570 road side amenities, for which tenders have been awarded for 170 and work has also begun. He added that their goal is to create an amenity centre at every 50 kilometres of highway stretches.

Gadkari also expressed his concern over the road accidents-induced fatalities and measures taken to reduce them. Gadkari said that lane driving should be encouraged along with better designing of roads and training drivers to follow proper rules.

Gadkari's announcement comes days after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited US on a 3-day visit and travelled in a truck from Washington to New York. During his journey, the truck driver talked about the difference of working conditions for Truck drivers in US and India.

He said that trucks in India are not designed for the comfort of the driver, while in US, safety and comfort features are on the top of the priority list for the manufacturers.

Shares of Amber Enterprises surged as much as 13% to Rs 2,387 in Tuesday’s trading session, after the announcement by the Union Minister. Amber Enterprises is a prominent solution provider for Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) industry.

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