I met with an accident as driver had cataract: Gadkari

New Delhi, July 23 (ANI): Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, who has been pushing for steps to bring down road accidents, said in Lok Sabha on Monday that he had suffered a road accident in Maharashtra when he was the leader of the opposition as his driver had impaired vision due to cataract.
"When I met with an accident, I was the leader of opposition in Maharashtra. It happened when I had police protection. My driver had a cataract," he said while seeking passage of Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019.
Gadkari said he got checking done in the state PWD department.
He said a chief minister once told him that his driver was "blind in both eyes" and depended on his sense of hearing to drive. Gadkari said the driver of a central minister was "blind" in one eye.
He said the drivers get certificates from government hospitals.
He said if the certificate mentions some problem in the eye, it leads to job loss and he had suggested to state governments to change the rules and give them alternative employment.
The minister said he had seen stunts in his childhood of man riding a motorcycle with his eyes covered and "such experiments were taking place".
"Will accidents not take place, will innocent people not get killed. There is a need to stop all this," he said.
The minister also referred to the shortage of trained drivers in the country. (ANI)