Sep 25: A convoy of 50–60 electric vehicles rolled out of Transport Bhawan this week carrying a single, unambiguous message across the two-day expedition from Sep 24th to 25th, responsible behavior behind the wheel saves lives.
Shri Harsh Malhotra, Hon’ble Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways and Corporate Affairs, flagged off Youth Safety & Smart Mobility Expedition 2026, organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, from Transport Bhawan, New Delhi, marking the beginning of a 500-km journey along the New Delhi–Chandigarh corridor. The flag-off was attended by: Shri Mahmood Ahmed, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Dr. Ranjeet Mehta, CEO & Secretary General, PHDCCI, Dr. Jatinder Singh, Deputy Secretary General, PHDCCI and Shri B. S. Dagar, Group Vice President and Head ER & CSR, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd.
Congratulating the Chamber for taking up the cause of road safety, the Minister said that ensuring the safety of people on roads remains a key priority for the Ministry. He noted that the Ministry had identified and rectified 14,000 accident-prone blind spots in the previous year and is prepared to undertake major structural changes wherever required to make roads safer. Emphasising that road safety requires a multi-dimensional approach, he appreciated the Chamber’s initiative to create greater awareness about safe driving, while highlighting the efforts of corporates in developing technologies aimed at enhancing vehicle safety.
Road crashes remain one of the leading causes of death among young Indians, and the majority of victims fall within the country’s working-age population. At the same time, India is undergoing its fastest-ever shift in how it moves: electric powertrains, connected vehicles and driver-assistance technology are entering the mainstream. The Expedition argues that these two stories must be told together that a cleaner mobility transition is incomplete unless it is also a safer one.
That is the convoy's strategic intent. Rather than a single event in a single auditorium, the Expedition moves through campuses, transport hubs and communities along the route, converting a policy priority into a visible, repeatable public engagement.
“As the country moves decisively towards electric and smart mobility, we have a rare opportunity: to build a culture of safety into this transition rather than retrofit it a decade later. Clean mobility and safe mobility must advance together — that is the case we intend to make at every stop between Delhi and Chandigarh.” - Dr. Ranjeet Mehta, CEO & Secretary General, PHDCCI.
Engagements along the corridor will focus on responsible driving behaviour, road discipline, safe mobility, technology-led road safety and EV adoption, with structured interactions at educational institutions and with stakeholders en route. The format is deliberately two-way: it creates a working platform for dialogue between Government, industry and young people on what a safer and more responsible mobility ecosystem actually requires and what each of the three can be held to. Every person in the convoy travels as an Official Road Safety Ambassador, accountable for the same message on the same road.
