Indian Roads Thread

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 23 Jun 2013 23:01

Even worse they park on newly laid foot paths with tiles blocking it off entirely for pedestrians. I saw that practiced in the prime parts of Trivandrum too. SSC forum had pics of such practice and it is not even one-off for an emergency. It is all over the place all the time.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 24 Jun 2013 03:11

and cops gets the baksheesh for all these right?

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 24 Jun 2013 03:13

When no one cares, why would the cops care irrespective of baksheesh.

It is after all public property for all to use, including cars. I couldn't get people to honor paid reserved parking slots in the apartment complex. So what can you expect of the general public.

Pranav · Post by **Pranav** » 02 Jul 2013 10:23

NDA regime constructed 50% of national highways laid in last 30 years: Centre - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 869113.cms

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 02 Jul 2013 19:32

For how long people can bear to see like this?

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 08 Jul 2013 23:40

There are half a dozen or so images of future road networks for B'lur floating on the web. The one below makes a lot of sense. The blue PRR or STRR sections connecting Devanahalli to Hosur/Attibele via Hoskote as a NH-7 bypass is the one most in need immediately. Anything on the ground that indicates of this happening anytime soon. This is the only way to de-congest ORR of the caravan of trucks I saw during my last visit during mid afternoon.

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 09 Jul 2013 00:17

It is instructive that so many of the landslips happened right below a road cutting. Often the landslip ended at the road cutting and extended below. This tell me the water management was poor. Years ago landslips used to be a huge problem in the Nilgiris. Every monsoon Ooty/Conoor/Gudalur used to be cut off for weeks and months on end. Finally the engineers decided to line every single culvert and road drainage channel. You can see even now that all the drains along the roads in Nilgiris have a granite & mortar lined channel. What this did was, prevent water from getting under the road and triggering a collapse. Landslips in the Nilgiris have reduced quite dramatically since then. Admittedly the Himalayas are much steeper but the concepts are not dissimilar IMHO.

Another problem was the undercutting by the river. These areas have to be stone and mortar lined. Else the river will keep attacking the support base.

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 09 Jul 2013 01:11

Good points Theo. The grade of the mountain slopes one sees in the pics of UK disaster is quite steep and not made of hard rock either. Some form of vegetation that survives at those higher elevations will be needed too to hold it all together.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 12 Aug 2013 07:22

The New Bangalore-Chennai Expressway will be Built in 36 Months - The Hindu

Nearly 2300 hectares of land will be required for the proposed Bangalore-Chennai Expressway that will be 262 km long {the existing one is 350 Kms} and run through Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Proposals submitted

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has recently submitted land acquisition proposals to the respective Revenue Departments in the three States.

Sources in the NHAI said that the project would take 36 months for completion.

“Even as the land acquisition process is on, other works are being taken up. We have submitted the proposal for clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, and submitted diversion of forest land to District Forest Officer in Tamil Nadu relating to 180 mts of reserved forest in Vellore district. Soon we will seek permission from railways for road over bridges. There are two in Tamil Nadu, one each in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh,” said a source in the NHAI.

The highway authority had also recently changed the alignment in Karnataka due to the Jadganehalli reserved forest area.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 12 Aug 2013 08:29

I am concerned at the water problem bigger cities are facing.. this is bad planning.. electricity, water and sewage goes hand in hand to roads network and town planning. as is, the plan is haphazard.

traffic is going towards city, while the infra structure for growth should move away from it. equal distribution is vital for long term survival. the faster we go thorium utilization, the better it can serve the 1/5th of the problem we face.

water scarcity is something we need big time planning.. building reservoirs, harvesting, and intelligent demographic spread plan is vital for the future. simply, the mohammads have to go to water.. there is no magic here.

expressways are good, but they have to be much more global.. like the interstate. perhaps zonal /state wide expressways can begin linking all towns. that way, towns become active first, rather cities.

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 12 Aug 2013 08:53

^^^
If it goes through Andhra this road will not be popular due to the very high road taxes charged by Andhra esp. for commercial vehicles. All commercial vehicles would prefer to stay within TN till Hosur, where I believe there is no road tax charged on a reciprocal basis between TN/KA, IIRC. This was the main reason for the decline of the old Madras highway. Back in the day a majority of traffic used to go this route thru Chittoor to Bengluru till it became prohibitive to transit through Andhra. Andhra did not back down back then despite strong protest from TN & KA, it will not back down now. Unless you get a concrete law passed by Andhra assembly this road will remain unused. This road will then have a road tax at TN to Andhra Then again from Andhra to KA. No commercial vehicle will want to deal with that.

As a side corollary this started the decline of Chittoor. It used to be almost as big as Bengluru at one time. Madras-Chittoor-Bangalore-Mysore used to be the band. All 4 were roughly the same size back in the pre-independence times. Look at them now.

This business of road tax has caused the decline of many a town/city cut of from the local traffic. Back in the day Palakkad town used to be twice the size of Coimbatore. Today Coimbatore is 10 times the size of Pallakkad!! The railway division used to be called Pallakkad railway division for a reason.

Similarly Nagercoil used to be 1/2 the size of T.puram. Yet today it is less than 1/10 the size.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 12 Aug 2013 11:15

In the pic posted by Bade, notice some of the sattelitte roads cross tthe border into TN.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 12 Aug 2013 18:35

massan constitution writes down things like to encourage inter-state commerce is primary reason for expressways.

putnanja · Post by **putnanja** » 12 Aug 2013 23:45

Aditya_V wrote:In the pic posted by Bade, notice some of the sattelitte roads cross tthe border into TN.

I don't see it. can you please point it out? The thick blue lines are the satellite roads. The yellow line is the taluk boundary, which is within Karnataka.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Aug 2013 08:15

krishnagiri route is more meaningful for goods trucks because from there they can fan out toward salem/coimbatore/kerala , chennai or blr/mysore - a tri junction. trucking hubs like nammakal and karur also on this patch.

only transit goods traffic coming from the mumbai-goa-north KA side toward chennai might prefer to use this road.

for passenger traffic it might make a lot of sense. and there are growing industrial towns like hosakote and so on planned along this corridor. build and they will come. its APs game to lose. from blr to krishnagiri is a clear slow 100km of urbanized terrain to go before reaching open water.

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 13 Aug 2013 09:22

Meanwhile AMMA's hard headed nature has brought ALL the Chennai projects to a screeching halt. Sometimes I think she has been paid off by the lankan mafia with malicious attempts to cripple the Chennai port. Why does she do this every innings, she seem like such a smart lady otherwise.Other than Metro it seems like every other project has been placed on go slooooo.....

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes ... -authority

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has told the Madras high court that the Tamil Nadu government must bear the compensation cost of Rs 786 crore sought by the contractor, for delay in the Chennai port-Maduravoyal elevated corridor project.

Prem Kumar · Post by **Prem Kumar** » 13 Aug 2013 14:13

Some good news about a smart bus tracking system in Mysore

Indian buses stay ahead of the technology curve

VinodTK · Post by **VinodTK** » 16 Aug 2013 06:34

Images of "India's 10 longest expressways"

Gus · Post by **Gus** » 16 Aug 2013 08:37

Theo_Fidel wrote:Meanwhile AMMA's hard headed nature has brought ALL the Chennai projects to a screeching halt. Sometimes I think she has been paid off by the lankan mafia with malicious attempts to cripple the Chennai port. Why does she do this every innings, she seem like such a smart lady otherwise.Other than Metro it seems like every other project has been placed on go slooooo.....

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes ... -authority

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has told the Madras high court that the Tamil Nadu government must bear the compensation cost of Rs 786 crore sought by the contractor, for delay in the Chennai port-Maduravoyal elevated corridor project.

it was a dmk started project.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 16 Aug 2013 23:01

VinodTK wrote:Images of "India's 10 longest expressways"

some of them are not express ways when you see pics with people and animal crossings.

btw, there certain other expressways that looked beautiful, but sadly under utilized for our size. bad planning to the core.

roads interconnection is the way to commerce.. if we don't have a comprehensive indic solution, we will leave no trace in the history for development index.

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 29 Aug 2013 21:18

With land not available, NHAI drops four-laning projects

The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has abandoned two projects envisaged to four-lane the 82-km Kannur to Vengalam section of NH 17 at a cost of Rs 1,320 crore and the 88-km Vengalam-Kuttipuram section of NH 17 at a cost of Rs 1,316 crore.

The two projects were proposed to be built under the Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) basis under the National Highway Development Project (Phase III). A letter written by NHAI general manager (Tamil Nadu and Kerala) I S Rana to PWD secretary T O Sooraj on August 23, 2013, a copy of which is with Express, states that the two projects were awarded to KMC Construction Ltd on July 20,2009 and concession agreements signed on February 24, 2010.

However, even after a lapse of three-and-a-half years, the requisite land/right of way (ROW) could not be made available.
......

PWD secretary T O Sooraj said that he has yet to receive the letter. He said that land acquisition in Kerala was a Herculean task and people demand fancy sums as compensation. People are against collecting toll as well.

Sooraj said that if the people were to be compensated for the land acquired for various highways in the State it would require at least Rs 20,000 crore. The only solution was to carry out four-laning in the existing 30-m width, with a 3-m parting space for a median. Earlier, there were reports that NHAI chairman R P Singh had written a letter to former chief secretary K Jose Cyriac expressing displeasure at the tardiness of the land acquisition process along the stretches of NH 17 and 47. The letter had warned NHAI would have no option but to abandon the projects.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 30 Aug 2013 09:17

saw google maps for nh17.. don't understand the issue of land not made available in time and abandoning the project. wtf?

Javee · Post by **Javee** » 30 Aug 2013 09:58

Gus wrote:
Theo_Fidel wrote:Meanwhile AMMA's hard headed nature has brought ALL the Chennai projects to a screeching halt. Sometimes I think she has been paid off by the lankan mafia with malicious attempts to cripple the Chennai port. Why does she do this every innings, she seem like such a smart lady otherwise.Other than Metro it seems like every other project has been placed on go slooooo.....
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes ... -authority
it was a dmk started project.

There is some truth to Amma's opposition. The girders are right in the middle of coovam and it will only block the flow further and will be much harder to flush/clean in future.

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 30 Aug 2013 20:22

Saik, they should consider a total greenfield alignment for a 3+3 lane NH17 away from population centers. The 20,000 crore price tag for land acquisition for the state should drive this. Mind you this price is just for extensions on either side to the current 1+1 alignment zig zagging across towns.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 01 Nov 2013 03:55

and this may be exactly what desh needs.. instead of bricks, it could be fabricated concrete blocks. so, any portion goes bad, it is easy to replace and repair. of course, the foundation gravel must be well packed and well laid. furthermore, our ladies and indic culture could add in their colors and design patterns. wah! voila!

http://www.gizmag.com/tiger-stone-lays- ... re/124463/

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 04 Nov 2013 07:06

With all the talk about the new border roads in the North-east to take care of China threat, we still seem to be lacking in connectivity between the southern and northern stretches across the Brahmaputra even in the plains. A cursory look at google maps reveals only one river crossing near Tezpur.

Is the local geography and reserved forests the reason for not having more connections across the river ?

Sridhar K · Post by **Sridhar K** » 02 Dec 2013 10:16

Cross posting my own post from GDF

Returned from a 9 day trip of Panchadwaraka covering Gujarat and souther Rajasthan. Landed at Karnavati (Ahmedabad) by flight and took a Force Traveller, visited Dakore near Karnavati, and the next day started to Dwaraka via Rajkhot, Jamnagar, Motikhavdi (Reliance Refinary), Vadinar (Essar Refinery), Khambalia (airforce station). Visited the island of Peyt Dwaraka, then went back south via Porbandar, and reached Veraval/Somnath. From Somnath, went to little Rann of Kucth via Junagadh, Rajkhot, Surendra Nagar and stated at a resort nearby. From there, visited Ambaji (one of the Sakthi peeth), then exited Gujarat and reached Mt. Abu. Stayed there for a night and visited NathDwara (Srinathji temple), Kankhroli, Eklingaji (Shiv temple now gaurded by the Mewar regiment of Indian army) and finally Udaipur. Took a return flight to Chennai from Udaipur via Delhi.

Considering that Modi's work in Gujarat being in the center of attention these days, some random observations on Roads. Initial impression was that there is more hype over substance but we could slowly see the difference.

Please take it with a pinch of salt considering that I spent more time on the roads, spoke to drivers, guides and others

Roads
a) First impressions: If you are expecting a massa like road infrastructure/cleanliness in Gujarat like me, you would be disappointed. Coming from TN, it is not much different than what we see. However,
b) When compared to other states, the roads are much better, decently laid and maintained.
c) Considering that Gujarat had heavy rains this time, the roads got hit but still they were much better than the roads of any state after the rainy season perhaps barring Kerala.
d) Road repairs had started on most of the state highways(Veraval-Junagadh, Surendra Nagar- Mehsana). It was excellent from Mehsana all the way till the Rajashtan border). We went via Modi's home town (Vadnagar) as well.
e) There was work going on expanding bridges everywhere
f) State highways are better maintained than National highway.
- The Ahmedabad-Rajkhot was a four lane even in 1999 but not in great shape for a tolled road. Very similar to Sriperumbudur -Ranipet section of the Chennai- Bangalore. The rains, heavy container traffic to Khandla port to Jamnagar or lack of central focus be the reason.
- However, the stretch from Rajkhot to Porbandar maintained by the Guj Govt is in excellent condition. The L & T maintained Rajkhot-Vadinar via Jamnagar state highway is awesome
- The Vadodara - Ahmedabad expressway on the NH stretch is excellent with planned exits is on par with Massa roads, one of the best in India. It was pleasure to ride on the road with people following lane discipline and slow moving vehicles on the left lane. Of course there were a few morons in cars who overtook from the left but for most parts, the lane discipline was maintained.
g) The traffic seemed much less in Interior Gujarat unlike TN or UP. Very less number of cars and two wheelers as well. Road disciple in much better on highways but like any other city in India
h) State transport buses seems a bit of old and new. However, buses were the least polluting I have ever seen in any other state. Our guide told me that the Govt replaces 1000 buses every year. Maintenance and cleanliness is decent but still can improve. Rajasthan buses seems cleaner and better looking from the outside. Limited number of Volvos as well when compared to KA
i) BRTS buses in Ahmedabad are spanky new and mix of a/c and non a/c buses. The stations are well lit with CCTV, digital signboard. Also saw BRTS in Rajkhot.
j) Toilet and eateries on the roads are mixed bag. The food options are decent but toilets though clean are smelly. Could be better and no wonder Modi mentioned Sauchalaya in his speeches.
h) Rajasthan on the other hand has got some new 4 laners built and maintained by NHAI. State highways are not on par with Gujarat. Looks like Raj gets better funding for their roads from Central than Guj.
j) Connectivity to port cities are excellent. i.e. special 4 laned state highways connecting the port cities to Ahmadabad and the Golden quadrilateral.
k) Some of the train routes still have the old style manual signalling system and still meter gauge tracks. Does center gives a raw deal to Guj on the railway front?

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 03 Dec 2013 07:09

^you started off with more hype than substance, but imho, ended with more substance than hype.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 25 Dec 2013 21:57

scary looking bridge in kochi
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/131224/n ... your-track

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 26 Dec 2013 01:55

Singha wrote:scary looking bridge in kochi
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/131224/n ... your-track

AFAIK, that bridge is now restricted to 2-wheelers and pedestrian traffic onlee - there are posts barricading entrance for anything wider. It used to be the primary means to get out of Cochin and head to either Fort Cochin or southbound NH47 towards Thiruvananthapuram, but that stopped back in the late 1980s after the Aroor bypass was opened, and more bridges across the backwater were built. Meanwhile, this bridge remains in its original rotting condition. They should have resurfaced it ages ago, but then Cochin Corporation isn't known for its ability to build roads (cough)

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 26 Dec 2013 04:24

Linking India’s financial centre with its IT hub

The Bengaluru-Mumbai Economic Corridor, as an anchor of the U.K.-India partnership, is set to change the economic landscape of the region it passes through

If there is a developing centrepiece of the U.K.-India economic engagement, which the coalition government of David Cameron has been active in promoting, it is perhaps the agreement on the joint development of the Bengaluru-Mumbai Economic Corridor.

The decision to cooperate in developing the projected 1,000-km corridor that will link the two cities — with provision for creating manufacturing hubs along the route, developing the towns and their hinterland, and creating both investment and job opportunities along and around its route — was part of the joint memorandum that was signed between the two countries when Mr. Cameron visited India in February this year.

The tender for the feasibility report for the project was issued this month, with a December 26 deadline for submissions. Officials from the Indian High Commission involved in the negotiations believe that progress has been remarkably fast for a project of this size and scope — a sign of the importance that the Indian government attaches to the project, as well as of British investment interest in the project.

An “exciting flagship for wider collaboration on infrastructure” is how Barry Lowen, Director, U.K. Trade Investment (India), which leads on the U.K. side, described the project to The Hindu. “The U.K. has expertise on innovative ways to raise funding and promote green technologies in promoting infrastructure,” he said.

The 95-page tender for submitting the project’s feasibility study lays out the scope of the project. The funding for the study is to be underwritten by India, and is itself expected to run into millions of Great British Pounds.

The vision for the BMEC, as set out in the terms of reference of the feasibility study is of a “global exemplar both for commercially viable sustainable development and for attracting investments into manufacturing and clean infrastructure (potable water, clean energy etc).”

To achieve “comprehensive, accelerated and sustainable economic development with green technology and regional industrial and urban agglomeration, diffusing the regional population along the length of the corridor”, the BMEC will boost “regional industry agglomeration... attracting companies in the value chain of existing companies to the corridor, attracting particular industries where the corridor has geographical advantages or has advanced infrastructure for such industries.”

The project looks to create advantages for industrial development along the corridor, creating linkages that will provide quick access to production units in a way that will reduce transportation time, costs of logistics and inventory.

The corridor will start from Bangalore, passing through Tumkur, Chitradurga, Hubli, Dharwad and Belgaum in Karnataka), Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Karad and Pune and end in Mumbai (in Maharashtra).

“It represents a fantastic opportunity to develop the engagement between the two countries,” said Amarjit Singh, Associate Solicitor in Dutton Gregory LLP and Head of India Business Group in the UK, who also accompanied Mr. Cameron on his visit to India in February.

“Significantly, the corridor will link Mumbai, the financial centre of India and Bangalore, the country's IT hub. The U.K.’s capabilities in both sectors are world-class,” he added.

The model for the corridor is the Delhi Mumbai Infrastructure Corridor that is currently under development with Japanese funding. The nodal agency on the Indian side is the Department of Industrial Promotion under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Once chosen, the company/consortium must meet an eight month deadline to submit a Perspective Plan for overall development of the BMEC region along with a concept report for the greenfield megacities conceived as part of it. Foreign companies can apply.

Actual work on the project is unlikely to get off the ground before 2015, and even that is an optimistic expectation given the challenges that lie ahead.

Hurdles

The first hurdle relates to the political environment: the new government that will be elected in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections must ratify the agreement. Assuming that the new government does so and allowing for possible changes to the corridor route dictated by political or other reasons, the project must get the critical environmental clearances. Only after this can the thorny issue of land acquisition be taken up.

It should be recalled here that Posco, the Korean steel giant cancelled its plans for a $ 5.3 billion steel mill development project near Dharwad in Karnataka primarily due to popular opposition to land acquisition for the construction of its plant.

Secondly, if past experience is a guide, land prices along the route will explode once the plan is announced, creating dispossession on the one hand and speculation by land sharks on the other. Third, the BMEC corridor passes through relatively less industrialised areas when compared to the Delhi Mumbai Industrial corridor. Analysis of the trends in foreign direct investment indicates that DMIC States cater to 52% of total Foreign Direct Investment equity inflows in to the country. Mumbai and Delhi regions together constitute 92% of total FDI equity inflows amongst the project States.

Even with these advantages, the DMIC, which was conceived between India and Japan in mid-2007 and projected to cost $90 billion (Rs. 4,23,000 crore), is still years from completion.

Sources close to the project in the U.K. Foreign Office told The Hindu that one of the primary concerns on the British side relates to the multiplicity of Central and State laws that will have to be negotiated, a process they fear could cause delays. The BMEC, when it finally does see the light of day, will undoubtedly change the economic landscape of the region it passes through, a process that Britain will doubtless reap the financial rewards of. What India’s gains will be depends entirely on how the benefits and losses of this game-changing project will be shared.

parvathi.menon@thehindu.co.in

Varoon Shekhar · Post by **Varoon Shekhar** » 13 Apr 2014 18:04

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city ... 990381.cms

Horrible accident on March 31st, claiming the lives of 4 IIT students. This is occurring too frequently. A few months ago near Bangalore, 4 business students were killed in a road accident. Something is obviously wrong with Indian road conditions, Indian driving habits or Indian vehicles. Will abominable events like these inspire the family and friends of the victims to do something, however small, to try to prevent such incidents from recurring? The loss of any life, whether of a labourer, clerk or chaprassi, in such circumstances is, of course, tragic, but for 4 IIT students with a very bright future ahead of them, it hurts that much more.

Varoon Shekhar · Post by **Varoon Shekhar** » 17 Jun 2014 16:30

Another sick bus accident, which shows that Indians are still up to their careless, callous ways. Last week, it was 13 Russian tourists in Uttarakhand. Do these bus drivers ever think, do they possess a brain? Something like "Hmmm, the last time someone tried that manoeuvre, the bus went off the cliff, or crashed head on to another vehicle. So maybe, I shouldn't try it. It's happened way too often for me to want to take the chance". I'm really wondering.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 696456.cms

SHIMLA: A bus carrying tourists plunged off a mountain road into a gorge in a Himalayan region, killing 11 people, police said on Tuesday.

"All the 11 dead are tourists, the toll could rise," said B S Thakur, a senior state police officer.

Around 40 others were injured in the accident that happened late on Monday in the Sirmaur

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 17 Jun 2014 20:22

we should always plan for roads infra with 30% minimum free traffic (given for any vehicle type - meaning we can't reduce that space say 90% of it is truck or autos or bikes) space. roads standardizations and emergency management.

Varoon Shekhar · Post by **Varoon Shekhar** » 17 Jun 2014 20:35

It's also curious how willing and seemingly care-free many Indians are with these buses, knowing the history of bus accidents in the mountain tourist areas. Where's the public clamour for safety?

SanjayC · Post by **SanjayC** » 17 Jun 2014 22:53

The problem with mountain roads in Himalayan states is the lack of guard rails and narrow roads (usually single lane). I am a frequent driver to the hills from Delhi and know the danger well.

muraliravi · Post by **muraliravi** » 18 Jun 2014 06:51

SanjayC wrote:The problem with mountain roads in Himalayan states is the lack of guard rails and narrow roads (usually single lane). I am a frequent driver to the hills from Delhi and know the danger well.

The biggest issue is low funding for these roads. If funded well, they can build roads along the valley and have tunnels where they need to cut through. Tunneling is very expensive and hence they take the cheap and stupid alternative of making roads along the altitude. The stated reasons is service to inhabitants who live on hill tops. They can always have branch roads from the valley road that service the upper areas.

Varoon Shekhar · Post by **Varoon Shekhar** » 18 Jun 2014 12:08

^^^
Okay, but pardon a question that will probably sound naive to you, coming from someone who hasn't lived all that much in India.

Why don't bus drivers exercise even greater caution, while engaging these bends and turns and narrow roads? Particularly knowing the history, as they must( ???) about all the accidents that have taken place. And the general public must surely(??) be thinking "My safety is much more important to me than seeing a nice Himalayan landscape, however picturesque it is".

In other words SLOW DOWN!

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 18 Jun 2014 13:16

Varoon Shekhar wrote: Okay, but pardon a question that will probably sound naive to you, coming from someone who hasn't lived all that much in India. Why don't bus drivers exercise even greater caution, ...............

Callous attitude is the only reason. Perhaps the country is over-populated, or have not reached the level of say Europe which now considers each and every human life (in their area) to be important. I don't know how the Western countries started recognising the value of human lives; don't know if the two world wars had their impact as well.

member_23651 · Post by **member_23651** » 18 Jun 2014 13:36

Gadkari says E Rickshaws wont be banned and the operators dont need a driver license. Has he seen these plying on roads zooming past on roads without giving two hoots to basic road rules. Taking u turns dang in middle of the busy one way road. Already delhi has 90000 (yes the figure is correct) rickshaws in Delhi. Most of them seems to be bangla(deshis?). And brilliant chap says that these ricks will introduced all over India. So Modi Govt you too will play appeasement game as Congress? Atleast bring these death traps under DMV and make operators liable under law.