<span style="color: #222222;">Minister for Road Transport and  Highways Nitin Gadkari has  emphasised that the country needs development but there is a need to maintain ecology and environment as well.  Mr Gadkari said this while addressing Virtual National Roads and  Highways Summit with "Focus on Green Infrastructure" today. He  talked about the key features of green highways, and said that these highways work towards goals of reduction in greenhouse gas emission, carbon footprint, and the use of non-renewable energy sources.<br />'' <br />'' He said steps have been taken to ensure conservation of water, like rain water harvesting, and artificial ground water recharge system along the National Highways. And use of solar power is being made mandatory for all toll plazas. He said, the Ministry has taken a decision to add 10 per cent  plastic or rubber in the modified bitumen for road and bridge construction work, which is very important from an environmental point of view. He said that the Ministry is also planning to use coir and jute carpet in road construction.<br />'' <br />'' The Minister said that the  Government is developing 22 Greenfield corridors, including five Express highways and 17 Access Control Highways. He said that in terms of road connectivity, significant work is being done under the Golden Quadrilateral Project, Bharatmala, PMGSY, SetuBharatam, and Sagarmala Project. He specifically mentioned Delhi-Meerut Expressway, which will reduce travel time between the two cities to just 45 minutes in next two months, from present time of around four hours. The Minister also said that travel time between Delhi and Dehradun will also be reduced to just two hours from present 6 to 7 hours. He also spoke about completing the process of Char Dham Yojana, the all- season road in Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri, which will also promote tourism in Uttarakhand.</span><br />''