Union minister Nitin Gadkari introduces new provisions in sleeper buses to prevent accidents

Nitin Gadkari announced new safety rules for sleeper buses, including mandatory fire detection systems, emergency exits and driver drowsiness alerts.

Updated on: Jan 11, 2026, 09:20:39 IST

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Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari announced new safety rules for sleeper buses, including mandatory fire detection systems, emergency exits, and driver drowsiness alerts, to prevent accidents and save lives.

Nitin Gadkari also highlighted the potential of bio-bitumen from agricultural waste, which could reduce pollution and support India's economy. (PIB)

In a video, Gadkari on Thursday said, “In this crash investigation, sleeper coach buses are coming nowadays. In this, only automobile companies will manufacture sleeper coach buses.”

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"So, accreditation of bus facilities is to be done by the central government; we have taken it into our hands. So that we will not make any compromise about it. Existing buses to be retrofitted with a fire detection system, emergency exits with hammers, and emergency lighting. If the driver is sleepy, then we have also provided in our bus, there will be an alarm immediately, drowsiness indicators, which will alert him immediately," he added.

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Earlier on Wednesday, Gadkari highlighted how the agricultural waste can be converted into a valuable national resource, and noted that bio-bitumen is a "transformative step" towards the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

While speaking at CSIR's Technology Transfer Ceremony titled "From Farm Residue to Road: Bio-Bitumen via Pyrolysis", Minister Gadkari said, "Today marks a historic milestone in India's road infrastructure, as the nation becomes the first in the world to commercially produce bio-bitumen.

He congratulated CSIR and its dedicated scientists and thanked Union Minister of State (MoS) for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions of India, Jitendra Singh, for his constant support in achieving this pioneering breakthrough.

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"By utilising agro-waste, bio-bitumen reduces pollution caused by crop burning and strengthens the circular economy. With 15% blending, India can save nearly ₹4,500 crore in foreign exchange and substantially reduce its dependence on imported crude oil," the minister said.

Gadkari further stated that this innovation will empower farmers, generate rural livelihoods, and boost the rural economy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.