New Delhi | Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said he is in discussion with industry players on development of economically viable electric highways.

The minister for road transport and highways highlighted the need to develop "import substitute cost-effective, pollution-free and indigenous technology", asserting that sustainable development is the ultimate goal.

"The way our cities are developing, ultimately we (will) need to reform our urban laws. At the same time these cities and this traffic congestion and pollution is becoming a big challenge for the society. A city like Bengaluru, it is difficult for people to go to their office, it takes two hours," Gadkari said at a CII event here.

He emphasised that big corporates need to come forward and build sustainable business models.

"Yesterday I had a discussion with Tata and other people, that how we can make economically viable electric highway," Gadkari said.

The minister stated that there is a need to convince people that making hydrogen from water, ethanol etc. is possible and our talent and knowledge pool can be leveraged for this.

He highlighted that adopting a circular economy can significantly bring down manufacturing costs and reduce imports. Recycling metals like copper, aluminium etc. can reduce the auto component manufacturing costs by 20-25 per cent.