India needs world-class road infrastructure: Gurudas Kamat

Mumbai, Jan 12 (PTI) India needs world-class roadinfrastructure to develop an efficient public transportsystem, Minister of State for Communications and InformationTechnology Gurudas Kamat today said.

"The automobile industry is rapidly growing and vehiclevolume is also rising. Yet public transport remains theprimary mode of transport for most of the population. However,the current infrastructure is unable to meet the increasingdemand, which is rising every year," he said at the ''Bus WorldIndia 2011 conference'' here.

Though buses constitute almost 90 per cent of publictransportation in the country, roads are not growing at thedesired rate, Kamat said.

"Buses serve as the cheap and convenient mode oftransport. The bus industry in India is at the threshold ofmajor growth. However, it is not developing at the rate atwhich it should be developing in comparison to the automobileindustry."

The Indian bus manufacturing segment is rapidly changingas well, the minister said, as buses are no longer being builtusing truck chassis and an integrated bus and coach industryhas emerged.

"In this situation, there is a need for closercollaboration between the chassis manufacturer and the busbody builders to trigger the transition and for the overallgrowth of the bus industry," he said.

Kamat said India was the second-largest market in theworld for buses and coaches and produces nearly 50,000 busesevery year.