Union minister Nitin Gadkari said the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, built 27 years ago, remains free of potholes and that attention focused on a recent collapse at the missing link, which he described as a state government project that drew online criticism. He made the remarks while addressing the Festival of Thinkers organised by Symbiosis International University in Pune. He said the forest department had not granted permission for the missing link at the time. In May Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the much awaited 13.3 km missing link to bypass the steep mountain pass and improve road safety and travel between the cities. In July a landslide struck near Tunnel two of the missing link entrance after heavy rain. Emphasising the role of technology in infrastructure management, Gadkari urged use of drones, artificial intelligence, LiDAR and satellite technology to monitor roads and identify defects before they became major problems. Recalling his experience in building the expressway, he said he had pushed for an eight-lane road to meet future traffic but later considered a larger vision after studying highways abroad and envisaged far greater capacity. He noted that he had recently overseen construction of a 40-lane road between Delhi and Meerut. He called for infrastructure planning on a 25 to 50 year horizon rather than piecemeal fixes. He argued that infrastructure underpins economic growth, creates employment and helps reduce poverty, linking transport projects with technology, research and innovation as ways to convert knowledge into wealth. He urged promotion of entrepreneurship, skill development and technological advancement, and said capacity should anticipate future needs to avoid short term measures. Noting growth in the automobile sector driven by electric vehicles and alternative fuels including biofuels, he said it could generate large scale employment and boost exports. For Pune he said projects worth around Rs 600 billion (bn) are planned and innovative financing models are being explored, with emphasis on balancing development, environmental protection and ethics.