Building a Safe and Environmentally Sound Road Network
Building a Safe and
Environmentally Sound Road Network
Year Ender 2015
The year 2015 has seen strengthening of the resolve of the Ministry of
Road Transport and Highways to create and maintain a countrywide network of
road infrastructure that is mechanically strong, designed to ensure safety for
commuters and is compatible with the requirements of efficient and sustainable
development. The period has seen a lot of intense and focussed activity in the
sector with the Ministry having taken several initiatives towards fulfilment of
its larger objectives.
STATUS OF ROAD
NETWORK IN THE COUNTRY: A SHORT BACKDROP
India has about 52.32 lakh kilometers of road network, which is the
second largest in the world. The length of various categories of roads is as
under:-
National Highways 1,00,475 km
State Highways
1,48,256 km
Other
Roads
49,83,579 km
During the current FY till 30.11.2015,
5331 Kms length of National Highways have been awarded while 3480 Kms have been
constructed.
MAJOR HIGHWAY
PROGRAMMES CURRENTLY UNDERWAY
1. National Highways Development Programme
2. SARDP-NE (Special programme for NE)
3. LWE (Left Wing and Extremist affected
areas)
National Highways Development Project (NHDP) –
Updates as on 30.10.15
The Government
launched National Highways Development Project (NHDP) to upgrade and strengthen
National Highways. The phase-wise details of NHDP are as follows:
|
|
NHDP Component
|
Total Length
(km)
|
Completed length
(km) as on 30.10.15
|
Under implementation
(km)
|
Balance for award of civil works (km)
|
Estimated Cost (Rs. in
Cr.)
|
|
1.
|
GQ under NHDP Phase I
|
5,846
|
5,846
|
0
|
0
|
30,300 (NHDP Phase I) +
34,339 (NHDP Phase II) = 64639
|
|
2.
|
NS-EW Corridors under NHDP Phase I & II
|
7,142
|
6,414
|
461
|
267
|
|
|
3.
|
Port Connectivity under NHAI
|
402
|
379
|
23
|
0
|
|
|
4.
|
Other NHs with NHAI
|
1859
|
1518
|
341
|
0
|
|
|
5.
|
NHDP Phase III
|
12,403
|
6,634
|
3,602
|
2,167
|
80,626
|
|
6.
|
NHDP Phase IV
|
20,000
|
2,441
|
8,034
|
9,525
|
27,800
|
|
7.
|
NHDP Phase V
|
6,500
|
2,264
|
1,401
|
2,835
|
41,210
|
|
8.
|
NHDP Phase VI
|
1,000
|
0
|
135
|
865
|
16,680
|
|
9.
|
NHDP Phase VII
|
700
|
22
|
19
|
659
|
16,680
|
|
|
Total
|
55,852#
|
25,518
|
14,016
|
16,318
|
247,635
|
(# included 48428 km of total NHs, 24km length of
Chennai—Ennore port connectivity road, 700kms NH length under NHDP –VII, other
than overlapping length of NHs (5700 kms NH length is common under NHDP-I and
NHDP-V).
Improvement of road connectivity in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected
areas
The Government has approved a scheme for
development of about1,177km of NHs and 4,276km of State Roads in Left Wing
Extremism (LWE) affected areas as a Special Project with an estimated cost of
about Rs. 7,300 Crore.
· Development of Vijayawada Ranchi route
Out
of 1,622 km long LWE affected Vijayawada - Ranchi route, development of 600 km
(net length 594 km) of State Roads in Odisha (548 km Newly declared NH and 46
km SH), not covered in any Central or State Scheme has been approved by the
Government at a cost of Rs 1,200 crore on 4th November, 2010.
So far, the detailed estimates for all the 9
packages in an aggregate length of 594 km have been sanctioned at an estimated
cost of Rs. 1,333 crore and works were awarded. Out of these, 2 Nos works
covering 157 km length were terminated and they have been re-awarded.
Special Accelerated Road Development Programme for
North-Eastern region (SARDP-NE)
The
scheme has been envisaged to be taken up under three parts as under:-
Phase ‘A’ of SARDP-NE approved by the Government
envisages improvement of about 4,099 km length of roads (2,041 km of NH and
2,058 km of State roads).
Phase ‘B’ of
SARDP-NE, covers 3,723 km (1,285 km NHs and 2,438 km of State roads) of road.
Phase ‘B’ SARDP-NE shall be taken up after completion of Phase ‘A’, which is
targeted for completion by March 2017.
Arunachal Pradesh Package: The Arunachal
Pradesh Package for Road & Highways involving development of about 2,319 km
length of road (1,472 km of NHs & 847 km of State / General Staff /
Strategic Roads) has also been approved by the Government. Projects on 776 km
are to be taken up on BOT (Annuity) mode and the remaining are to be developed
on item rate contract basis.
Balance
length of NHs to be covered under NH (O)
|
Sl. No.
|
Item
|
Length (km)
|
|
(i)
|
Total length of NH
Network
|
1,00,475
|
|
(ii)
|
Length of NH under
various phases of NHDP
|
48,428$
|
|
(iii)
|
Length of NH under
Special Accelerated Road Development Programme for North-East Region
including Arunachal Pradesh Package
|
5,562
|
|
(iv)
|
Development of road (NH)
in Left Wing Extremism affected areas
|
1,177
|
|
(v)
|
Length with NHIDCL
|
1,164
|
|
(vi)
|
NHIIP (Externally aided
projects)
|
1,120
|
|
(vii)
|
VGF / EPC Scheme under
NH(O)
|
1,730
|
|
(viii)
|
Vijayawada Ranchi
Corridor
|
548
|
|
|
Total from (ii) to (vii)
|
59,575
|
|
|
Balance length of NHs to
be covered under NH(O)
|
40,900
|
$- Out of this 32,155 km is entrusted with NHAI.
Major Schemes for development of Non-NHDP NHs through NH (O)
National Highway Interconnectivity Improvement Program (NHIIP) under
proposed World Bank Loan Assistance
About 1,120 km length of NHs are
proposed to be improved to 2-lane NH standards following corridor development
approach under the World Bank Loan Assistance in Phase-I. DPR preparation
for all 11 stretches in Phase- I has been completed and 10 Contracts out of
total 15 nos. have been already awarded. Loan Agreement for Phase-I (1,120 km
under first tranches of Loan Assistance of US$ 500 Million) was signed with
World Bank on 1 July, 2014.
For the proposed execution of projects under World Bank Loan Assistance
as mentioned above, the cost of LA and utility shifting are to be borne by the
Government of India as per the policy of the World Bank.
Ministry’s initiatives to leverage more resources
through Private Sector Investment for development of non-NHDP NHs
About 17 projects of about 1,950 km length were identified as non-NHDP
NH Sections for taking up on BOT(Toll) basis through private sector
participation. However, 13 projects for about 1395 km length have been awarded
under BOT (Toll) basis and a length of 846 has already been completed. The
remaining stretches which could not be awarded under BOT (Toll) basis, are
being awarded under EPC Mode under NH (O).
For BOT (Toll) projects,
the cost for preconstruction activities are to be met from the available
allocations under NH(O). The Viability Gap Funding (VGF) upto 20% of the Total
Project Cost (TPC) for these projects are proposed to be met from the support
from the Ministry of Finance under its VGF Scheme; the balance VGF upto 20% is
to be met from available allocations of the Ministry under NH (O). Taking
up of these projects on BOT (Toll) would ensure their proper long term
operation and maintenance.
New Initiatives
1. Bharat Mala -5500 km - to develop roads along the
international borders and coastal areas
2. Special Scheme - 6000 km - roads facilitating connectivity
to religious /tourist places and providing connectivity to backward regions
3. District Connectivity - development of National Highways
providing connectivity to district headquarters
4. Setu Bharatam - All the level crossings and
narrow/weak bridges to be replaced by Railway Over / Under Bridges and new
constructions
PROPOSED EXPRESSWAYS
(i) The Government of India has approved a plan for
constructing 1000 km of Expressways under NHDP Phase-VI at a cost of Rs. 16,680
Cr. on DBFOT basis. As per approval of the Cabinet, main criteria for selection
of Expressway corridors will be the traffic volume and it was approved that the
highest density corridor i.e. Vadodara-Mumbai Corridor (400km) be given top
priority. It was also decided that remaining 600 km will be selected out of the
routes identified on the basis of traffic volume. The high density corridors
approved under NHDP Phase-VI are as under:
· Vadodara-Mumbai Corridor (400 km)
· Delhi-Meerut (66km) on NH-58
· Bangalore-Chennai (334 km) on NH-4
· Delhi-Jaipur (261 km) on NH-8
· Delhi-Chandigarh (249 km) on NH-1 and
NH-22
· Kolkata-Dhanbad (277 km) on NH-2 and
· Delhi-Agra (200 km) on NH-2.
In addition to above,
Government has approved to take up Eastern Peripheral Expressway-135 km, which
is not a part of NHDP Phase VI.
(ii) The Government has prioritized the following Expressways:
· Eastern Peripheral Expressway
· Delhi-Meerut Expressway
· Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway
In addition to the above the Government is also considering construction
of a few more Expressways as follows:
· Nagpur – Mumbai
· Jaipur – Ajmer - Ahmedabad
· Nagpur – Hyderabad
· Pune – Hyderabad
· Hyderabad – Bangalore
· Amravati – Hyderabad- Bangalore
· Delhi – Amritsar- Jammu- Katra
Targets for 2015-16
During this year 2015-16, the Ministry has target to award
10,000Km of National Highways, which is 25% more than the stretches
awarded during last year. Similarly, Ministry has target to
complete work in 6300 km of stretches, which is around 45% more the km
completed during the last year.
PPPs showing signs of recovery
PPPs are also showing signs of recovery. In 2015 -16, 7 PPP projects
with aggregate length of 874 Kms and cost of Rs 11,927
Cr.have been awarded so far.
MAJOR POLICY INITIATIVES
The Government has
progressively taken many policy decisions in the sector, designed to facilitate
the execution of work and make it speedier, more efficient and transparent.
After the important initiatives taken in 2014 which include empowering Ministry
of RT&H to decide Mode of Delivery of projects, giving it enhanced
appraisal powers and providing a mechanism for inter-ministerial coordination,
some of the major initiatives of 2015 are as follows:
1. Exit Policy – This is aimed at improving the
availability of equity in the market. The Exit Policy framework permits
concessionaires/developers to divest 100 percent equity and exit all
operational BOT projects two years after completion of construction. This would
help unlock equity from completed projects making it potentially available for
investment into new infrastructure projects across the country.
2. Fund Infusion To Salvage Languishing
Projects - This initiative authorizes the National Highways Authority
of India (NHAI) to intervene in projects that are in the advanced stage of
completion but are stuck due to lack of funds. NHAI has been authorized to
provide funds to such projects from within its overall budget/corpus on a loan
basis at a pre-determined rate of return. This loan is to be recovered along
with interest as the first charge from the toll receipts immediately after
completion of construction
Out of a total of 73
languishing projects, issues have been resolved for 19. Contracts for another
39 projects have been terminated and the same are being restructured and rebid.
3. Rationalized compensation to concessionaires for
languishing NH projects in BOT mode for delays not attributable to
concessionaires – the Cabinet has approved the same which would add to the comfort level
of prospective project concessionaires.
4. Amendments to the Model Concession
Agreement – A committee
under the Chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary has been authorized to make
amendments. Certain changes have been approved by the Committee.
5. Segregation of Civil Construction cost
from Capital Cost of National Highways projects for appraisal and
approval –The Government has approved segregation of construction cost from
cost for land acquisition, centages and pre-construction activities for the
purpose of appraisal and approval of National Highways projects for the
following dispensation:
(a) All NH projects with a civil construction cost of up to Rs.1000 crore shall be appraised by SFC/EFC/PIB headed by secretary, Road Transport and Highways and approved by Minister, RT&H.
(b) All NH projects with a civil construction cost above Rs.1000 crore shall be appraised by PPPAC/EFC/PIB headed by Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs/Expenditure and approved by CCEA.
This measures will help cut down delays in the process of appraisal and approval of NH projects.
(a) All NH projects with a civil construction cost of up to Rs.1000 crore shall be appraised by SFC/EFC/PIB headed by secretary, Road Transport and Highways and approved by Minister, RT&H.
(b) All NH projects with a civil construction cost above Rs.1000 crore shall be appraised by PPPAC/EFC/PIB headed by Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs/Expenditure and approved by CCEA.
This measures will help cut down delays in the process of appraisal and approval of NH projects.
6. Hybrid Annuity Mode of Delivery - A new mode of delivery under
Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode, namely Hybrid Annuity Model, is being
promoted for awarding road projects for implementation under which 40% of
project cost is being provided by the Government to the concessionaire. Remaining
60% is to be arranged in form of debt and equity to be compensated over 15
years as bi-annual annuities. There is separate provision for O&M
payments by the Government to the concessionaire. The private party does not
have to bear the traffic risk. All the payments have been inflation indexed by
a Price Multiple Index which is a weighted average of WPI and CPI (IW) on 70:30
bases. This mitigates the inflation risk for the developer.
21 Highways projects have been
identified to be implemented on this Model in the current fiscal. Confidence
of the stakeholders in this model is evident from the fact that for the Meerut-Bulandshahr
project, 4 bids have been received till the Bid Due Date of 09.12.2015. The
bids are currently under evaluation.
7. NHAI Issues Tax Free Infrastructure
Bonds - National Highways Authority of India is raising funds through
public issue of tax free, secured, redeemable non-convertible bonds with Face
Value of Rs 1,000 each for an amount of Rs 1,000 crore with an option to retain
over subscription of upto additional Rs 9,000 crore, aggregating upto a
total of Rs 10,000 crore.
8. Road Transport and Safety Bill, 2015- Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
is working on a proposal to replace the “Motor Vehicles Act, 1988” with a
new Act namely “The Road Transport and Safety Bill, 2015” which inter-alia
proposes to put in place the National Road Safety and National
Transport Authority which would be tasked to address the engineering,
education, enforcement, monitoring and emergency care standards for road
safety. The Bill also tries to remove the practices which are adverse to road
safety and efficient use of transport system. It also proposes to bring Multi
Modal Coordination Authority to improve the efficiency in the
transport sector. On the advice of PMO, the latest version of the Road
Transport and Safety Bill, 2015 was sent to all the States/UTs on 4th June,
2015 seeking their comments/views. About twenty State Governments/UTs
have so far furnished their comments. Reminders to States/UTs from where
comments/suggestions have not been received were sent. The Bill has been
uploaded on Ministry’s official web site: www.morth.nic.in.
PROMOTING ROAD SAFETY
“Government of India
is committed to improving safety, efficiency and sustainability in the
transport sector and believes that only a safe system can be sustainable in the
long run.” Minister of Road Transport and Highway Shri Nitin Gadkari said this
while addressing the global conference on traffic safety in Brasilia in
November this year. This is a reiteration of the government’s objectives
to make Indian roads safe for the public and bring down the number of fatal
accidents. The government has taken many steps in this direction during the
past years and efforts continued in this direction during 2015. The highlights
of the initiatives are as follows:
1. Road safety is being accorded highest
priority and safety elements are being incorporated into designing of
roads.
2. Steps are being taken to identify black
spots on highways and take remedial measures to reduce accidents at
these spots.
3. Road Transport and Safety Bill, 2015, which is in an advanced stage of
consideration by the government, proposes an integrated approach to road safety
and road transport .
4. Integrated Vehicle Registration and
Driving License System - Government had developed applications http://vahan.nic.infor vehicle registration and http://sarthi.nic.in for driving licence. NIC has seen
100 % success in the deployment of these across the country. State Registers
and National Registers have been created to consolidate the data base and all
states and UTs have been connected. The National Registry contains more than 16
crore vehicle records and 6 crore license records. The State Transport Departments
have access to the digitized data on registration and license. Various
government and non government agencies also have access to the data. Various
citizen-centric services are being rolled out based on the NR and SR
applications. Vahan and Sarthi applications are now being revamped into web
enabled, centralized architecture to provide unified, cloud enabled delivery of
services. The application will be designed to meet the different requirements
of various states and UTs and will have features like single sign on, biometric
authentification, multiple option for e payment, SMS intimation etc. States are
also being given incentives to enter their data so that there can be a single
data base for the whole country.
5. Automated Camera Based Driving Test
System – This test
system developed by CIRT Pune provides an unbiased and transparent driving test
mechanism with lesser human intervention, It is being used for testing license
aspirants in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad regions. The system is also being set up
at Chandigarh .
6. Cashless Treatment for Road Accident
Victims – This project was launched in August 2014 on a pilot basis on the
following stretches of National Highway-
i. Vadodara-Mumbai stretch of NH 8
ii. Ranchi – Rargaon – Mahulia stretch of
NH 33
The purpose was to provide prompt
medical care to accident victims during the Golden Hour. A toll free number
1033 has been started for reporting accidents. A 24X7 Call Centre has been set
up to receive reports of accidents, deploy ambulances, alert police, hospitals
and other such agencies.
7. Safety of Women in Public
Transport Under Nirbhaya Fund Scheme - This is a scheme that proposes to provide for the
safety of women in public transport A contract was signed between MoRTH
and Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit Systems Ltd (DIMTS) to provide Project
Management Consultancy for smooth implementation of the project. Under this
scheme, following activities have been undertaken:-
· Concept Report, Technology Analysis
Report, Detailed Specification document for GPS and detailed specification
document for CCTV have been finalized.
· Draft Request for Proposal for
selection of agency for design, implementation, operation and maintenance of
the back-end system for National Level Vehicle Security & Tracking System
and Draft Detailed Project Report has been submitted by Consultant.
(i) A
core committee was formed under the chairmanship of Prof. N. Balakrishnan to
review the schemes under “Nirbhaya Fund”. The Committee recommended for
implementation of the MoRTH scheme on a pilot basis at two cities before its
roll out on a national level.
(ii).
The Principal Secretary to Prime Minister in meeting held on 19.05.2015 has
directed MoRTH to re-examine the objectives of the scheme in line with core
committee recommendations.
(iii) At present, feasibility of the
scheme is being re-examined in line with core committee recommendations.
PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOMNENT
Many initiatives were
taken by the Ministry to promote sustainable development. These include :
1. Green Highways (Plantation, Transplantation,
Beautification and Maintenance) Policy – 2015
The Government has launched the Green
Highways (Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification and Maintenance) Policy –
2015. The vision of the Policy is to develop eco-friendly National
Highways with the participation of community, farmers, NGOs and private
sector. The policy will help to improve aesthetics of the project
corridors and places of importance by planting selective ornamental trees,
landscaping and turfing with grasses and ornamental shrubs. The
plantation along the highway will help to reduce the impact of air pollution
and dust and will check soil erosion at the embankment slopes.
2. Ethanol – Fuelled Bus- Notification was issued for mass emission standards for flex-fuel
ethanol E85 and ED95 . This Notification will enable vehicle manufacturers to manufacture
vehicles running on bio-ethanol E85 and ED95. A bio-ethanol fuel bus is already
under trial in Nagpur.
3. E-rickshaws and E-carts – After laying down statutory
norms / specifications for construction and maintenance of E rickshaws and
facilitating their registration last year, the Government promulgated an
Ordinance for giving relief to drivers of E-rickshaws and E-carts. The
Ordinance enables the grant of driving licence for E-Rickshaw and E-Cart drivers holding
LMV licence, without waiting for the prescribed one year period required for
transport vehicles.
4. Bio- CNG and Bio- Diesel – Notification has been issued
for norms for the use of Bio-CNG for testing and exhaust emission for vehicles
running on Bio-CNG. With this notification, the vehicle manufacturers can
manufacture, sell and get vehicles fuelled by Bio-CNG in the country. Draft
Notification was also formulated for Mass Emission Standards for Bio-diesel (B
100) fuelled vehicles. Oil Marketing Companies launched Bio Diesel supplies in
some retail outlets at Delhi, Vijayawada, Haldia and Vizag.
5. BS IV Compliance for 4 wheelers- Notification
was issued for introduction of BS IV compliant four wheel motor
vehicle according to which Mass Emission Standards for Bharat Stage
IV shall come into force all over the country from 1st April
2017. With this only those newly manufactured four-wheeled vehicles, which are
complaint with the BS-IV standards will be allowed to be registered and move on
roads with effect from the notified dates.
6. BS V and VI Norms - Draft notification has been
issued advancing the date for implementation of BS-V norms roll out
from 1stApril 2020 to 1st April 2019 and BS-VI
norms from 1st April 2024 to 1st April2021 for automobile
sector
7. Scientific Studies on Designing
Greenbelt -NHAI approved
a pilot project submitted by National Environmental Engineering Research
Institute (NEERI), Nagpur for undertaking scientific studies on designing
greenbelts along national highways. The project will be implemented on a
5 km stretch on NH-7 between Jam and Hinganghat in Nagpur region.
8. Conversion of Diesel buses to battery
powered Electric – As part of a pilot project to convert diesel buses to battery operated
electric buses, the first prototype of one such bus was demonstrated in
Parliament in the presence of the Prime Minister. The bus will be used by
Members of Parliament. 10 more diesel buses are proposed to be converted to
electric for State Transport authorities.
E-GOVERNANCE
INITIATIVES
The Ministry of
RT&H has brought in a number of e-governance initiatives which include
1. Electronic Toll Collection - In order to remove traffic
bottleneck at toll plazas and ensure seamless movement of vehicles and
hassle-free collection of toll, the Government will implement a nation wide
Electronic Toll Collection based on passive Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID) conforming to EPC Gen-2, ISO 18000-6C standards.. For
this, EFC equipment installation is completed at 248 Fee Plazas and
integration with Central Clearing House (CCH) is completed on 179 Fee
plazas. Interoperable EFC has been commissioned on Delhi-Chandigarh and
Chennai-Bengaluru stretches of National Highways.
2. Over Dimensional (OD) and Over Weight Cargo (OWC)- A web portal has been launched for
online approval of movement of Over Dimensional (OD) and Over Weight Cargo
(OWC). This is expected to ensure smoother movement of heavy transport
and make system corruption free.
3. Online Bill Payment - New Web Based System
inaugurated to make payment process for National Highway works more
transparent. The new monitoring system is also expected to facilitate easy communication
between various offices and allow a user to track the status of a bill.
4. INAM-PRO- a web portal was launched to facilitate monitoring of supply of cement
and expedite placing of purchase orders by users . The portal,
designed by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways is designed to
ensure complete transparency in the supply of cement, so as to achieve
reduction in the cost of construction of rigid pavement.
5. Road Asset Management System (RAMS) - A state of the art integrated
data collection system was launched. The system will compile information on
road assets, condition of the pavements and traffic through use of laser
technology. It will assist in developing an accurate and scientific maintenance
planning mechanism, finalizing road safety measures and development of the
National Highways network in India. The data collected will be stored and
managed through a web based application, which will be hosted in the public
domain. The application, when fully developed, can also be accessed by smart
phones. The development of Road Asset Management System (RAMS) for the entire
National Highways along with collection of requisite data over 3,000 km of the
pilot road network is underway as part of the Prime Minister’s Digital India
initiative. The data collection over the pilot network of 3,000 km commenced
from Nagpur on 5 May 2015 on trial basis.
6. Toll Management Systems- Toll Management
Systems including CCTV Surveillance, Weigh-in Motion, Static Weigh
Bridge, at Toll Plazas of Public Funded Projects are being implemented
7. National Highways Toll Information System – A web portal www.nhtis.org has been launched to provide road
users valuable information about the National Highways and Expressways,
including applicable user fee rates at Toll plazas.
8. e-Pace – (Project Appraisal and Continuing Enhancement ) is a tool that
captures all information about projects being executed by Ministry of RT&H,
NHAI and NHIDCL across its entire lifecycle.. The information will be in public
domain. The tool will help in monitoring of the projects and accelerating
their speed.
.
Data for over 1500 projects have been entered so far
9. Automatic Traffic Counter
and Classifier (ATCC) -To standardize the process of data
collection and creating of central data repository, traffic surveys on National
Highways using Portable Automatic Traffic Counter and Classifier (ATCC)
Systems is being conducted. Total 1609 locations have been divided in 7 zones.
1st round of surveys have been completed on 1410 locations. The
data for 830 locations have been uploaded on the web server.
10. Integration of border check posts with fee plazas - AS-IS study for integration of border check posts with fee
plazas on the NHs on the direction of the PMO, has been completed.
CITIZEN CENTRIC INITIATIVES
1. Wayside Amenities - 39 locations have been finalized for setting up of wayside amenities on
National Highways. The proposed amenities include parking, restaurants/ low
cost dhabas, telephone booth, WiFi, ATM, fuel station, rest room, repairshops,
chemist shops, handicraft shops etc.
2. Discontinuation of toll at 65 fee plazas.
3. 24x7 Unique Toll Free Helpline Number “1033”
for Road users. on National Highways has been commissioned.
4. National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008 has been amended further to incorporate stringent fee rates
for preventing overloading and ensuring road safety.
GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS
1. Transport cooperation between India and Republic of
Korea -A Framework of
Cooperation in the field of Road Transport and Highways between the Ministry of
Road Transport and Highways of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Korea was signed on 18.05.2015.
2. Indo –US Transportation
Partnership – A
Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministries of Railways, Road Transport
and Highways and Shipping of the Government of India and the Department of
Transportation of the United States of America for a India-US Transportation
partnership was signed on 08.04.2015 during the visit of Secretary of US
Transportation Department to New Delhi.
3. BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement -India, Nepal, Bhutan and
Bangladesh (BBIN) signed a landmark Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA) for the
Regulation of Passenger, Personnel and Cargo Vehicular Traffic among the four
South Asian neighbours in Thimpu,. The MVA agreement between sub-grouping of
four SAARC nations, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) will pave the
way for a seamless movement of people and goods across their borders for the
benefit and integration of the region and its economic development.
4. Passenger bus service between India and
Bangladesh- An Agreement
between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the
People’s Republic of Bangladesh for passenger bus services between the two
countries was signed on 06.06.2015 at Dhaka and bus services on
Guwahati-Shillong-Dhaka route and Kolkata- Agartala via Dhaka route were
flagged off by Prime Ministers of both countries at Dhaka on 06.06.2015.
5. The first BBIN Friendship car rally started from Bhubaneswar on 14th November,
went through eastern and north eastern states of India, Bhutan and Bangladesh
and ended at Kolkata on 3rd December. The rally, which covered about 4700 km, focused on
“Safe Motoring” apart from Regional Connectivity
6. India, Myanmar and Thailand (IMT) Motor Vehicle Agreement A
meeting of Transport Secretaries of India, Myanmar and Thailand (IMT) was held
on 13-14th July, 2015 in Bangkok for finalizing the text of
Protocol and its Schedules which would be part of the IMT MVA. The three countries
have agreed in the meeting that the IMT MVA text of which has already been
agreed to by the countries can be signed during a Transport Ministers’ meeting
of three countries in Myanmar after the respective country Governments would
complete their internal approval processes.
7. India, Myanmar and Thailand (IMT) trial
run for passenger vehicles is being organized
between India and Myanmar from
Imphal in Manipur to Nay Pyi Taw in Myanmar.
8. India-Nepal Cross Border Transport Facilitation- The First meeting of India-Nepal Cross Border
Transport Facilitation Joint Working Group (CBTFJWG) under the Motor Vehicle
Agreement between India and Nepal for regulation of vehicular traffic between
the two countries was held at New Delhi on 16-17 July, 2015. The CBTFJWG took
various decisions required under the Agreement for its smooth
implementation. The following 4 new routes among the various routes
proposed by both sides, was agreed upon for starting regular bus services
between the countries after the operators of the services from either side are
mutually identified:-
(i)
Kathmandu- Patna- Bodhgaya
(ii)
Mahendranagar -Delhi
(iii)
Siliguri- Kakarbhitta- Kathmandu
(iv)
Jankapur- Patna
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