India and Canada Sign MoU on infrastructure development

India and Canada today signed an agreement which will facilitate the two countries to share and exchange knowledge and technical expertise in the areas of infrastructure development, operation and maintenance of roads and Intelligent Transport System etc. 

An agreement to this effect was signed by the visiting Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Dr. CP Joshi and Canada’s Minister of Transport, Infrastructure & Communication Denis Label in Cubec. Dr Joshi is on an official visit to Canada from June 10-13, 2012.

India has shifted focus towards the Private-Public-Partnership Mode for undertaking development and up-gradation of national highways network across the country as also development of express-ways which are going to be access-controlled with all modern construction technology, Information Technology, including Electronic Toll Collection System. 

It is expected that there would be an increase in involvement and participation from the Canadian industry in India’s ambitious National Highways and the Expressways Development Project. It is sealing a long-standing bilateral relationship and providing for cooperation between the two countries in the roads and road transportation sector, a government release said.

Acknowledging that India has to travel a long distance before coming up with a full Intelligent Transport System, the Minister said, “Canadian expertise in these areas will enable us to achieve the goal through enhanced cooperation, technology transfer and capacity building programmes.”