Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has issued stern warnings to agencies and contractors regarding the poor maintenance of the Eastern Peripheral Expressway, stating that good operators will be rewarded while bad ones will face consequences, including forfeiture of bank guarantees and blacklisting from future tenders. His remarks were made during the inauguration of a tree plantation drive in Ghaziabad, where he expressed dissatisfaction with the expressway's condition. Gadkari emphasized the government's commitment to reducing pollution through highway development and pro-environment policies, including biofuel initiatives. He highlighted that 40% of air pollution in India is due to vehicular emissions and praised the National Highway Authority of India's (NHAI) efforts in environmental sustainability, such as extensive tree planting. The minister's comments reflect ongoing concerns about infrastructure quality and accountability among contractors. He urged that those failing to maintain roads should be removed from their positions to improve public works.