Indian Roads Thread

[bala]

The slow road to progress

[quote] “The completion ratio in the Golden Quadrilateral is 96.48 per cent and in the North-South-East-West project, it is 23.36 per cent.â€

[SaiK]

that slimy chidambaram.. the data then was nothing with NS-EW, because nothing was added to the sector. Now there is some thing to brag about.. that is a felony to take manipulate data for political reasons.

[Rishirishi]

Compared to China the phase of highway building is slow. But considering that India is about 15-20 years behind China, in economic librelisation, it is not so bad
It will take time, to create the capacity, to build 3-4000 km of highway each year.

[Jaspreet]

Re: Rohit K's post containing Gurgaon-Delhi highway images.

In the second signboard why is there a bindu on the Devnagari letter that denotes 'uh' in Hindi translation of the abbreviation of Indira Gandhi Airport?

The Hindi equivalent of port is "uDDaa." There's no scope for a bindu here which means "unh" (h silent but present to stress nasal sound).

[Rohit_K]

Re: Rohit K's post containing Gurgaon-Delhi highway images.

In the second signboard why is there a bindu on the Devnagari letter that denotes 'uh' in Hindi translation of the abbreviation of Indira Gandhi Airport?

The Hindi equivalent of port is "uDDaa." There's no scope for a bindu here which means "unh" (h silent but present to stress nasal sound).

The "unh" is not for uDDaa but for antarrashtriya which means international.

[Jaspreet]

Thanks Rohit. And I thought it was some new Devnagari convention that has been invented that I wasn't aware of.

[ramana]

Two x-posts...

First phase of Golden Quadrilateral finally 'completed'

97% = completed

and

Bharat Nirman: Govt spent nearly Rs 30,000 cr on rural roads

NEW DELHI: Government has spent Rs 29,681.82 crore till February 2008 on construction of rural roads.

Since the launching of Bharat Nirman programme, average annual expenditure for rural roads has gone above Rs 6,800 crore per annum as against Rs 1,937 crore average annual expenditure during the period 2000-2005.

Minister for Rural Development Raghuvansh Prasad Singh told this to Lok Sabha, while making a statement on the status of implementation of the components of Bharat Nirman.

He added that Bharat Nirman is a time-bound business plan of the UPA government for development of rural infrastructure over a period of four years from 2005-06 to 2008-09 with a total estimated investment of Rs 1,74,000 crore.

He said that rural roads, rural housing and rural water supply are the three main compoments of Bharat Nirman, which are being implemented by the government at an investment of Rs 85,000 crore.

On rural roads, during 2005-09, it was targeted to construct 1,46,185 km of rural roads and to upgrade 1,94,130 km of existing roads. So far, he said, over 20,000 habitations have been connected and projects for connecting over 16,000 habitations are at different stages of construction.

The Minister said the projects are yet to be approved for about 23,000 habitations. So far, 55,684 km of new roads have been constructed and 78,418 km of existing rural roads have been upgraded.

Singh said that a three-tier quality monitoring is fully functional and so far over 45,000 road works have been inspected by national-level quality monitors.

[VickersB]

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080523/cth1.htm#4

Cops chip in and repair the road

Panchkula, May 22
The efforts of an enthusiastic young police officer proved a boon for the commuters of National Highway No.22 as well as the locals when Pinjore remained traffic jam-free after a long time near here today.

.....A resident of Kalka was allegedly died last week when his relatives could not shift him to a hospital in time because of long queues of vehicles stranded at Pinjore.

A baby was also born on way to hospital when the would-be mother was being shifted to the civil hospital of Panchkula a fortnight ago......

[vsudhir]

Last year, national highway projects crawled the slowest ever (IE)

[SSridhar]

Again travelled to Bangalore by road last week. NH 46 is good, but heavy truck traffic and pedestrian crossing at many places mean that one slows down considerably. I covered the distance of ~350 Kms in about 5.5 Hrs in the up direction from Chennai (including a 30 mts gas-station break, 4 toll plazas and a 90 minute crawl of the 45 Kms from Hosur to Bangalore). In the return direction, I took the NH-207 Sarjapur road (a very good single-lane road which starts from my Apartment complex) upto Anekkal that skipped the horrendous Koramangala-Electronic City stretch and then followed NH-7 and NH-46. I was able to cover the distance in 5 Hrs including a 90 minute crawl from Poonamallee to Adyar. The entire NH46 needs to be widened to 4 lanes as at most places, it is just two lanes only and the traffic is heavy to very heavy.

As usual, long distance truck drivers are more careful in driving and follow road rules and considerate to others. However, I encountered some outsized carriers without proper escorts in the front and the back. Local truck drivers utterly disregard traffic rules. In places like Ambur and Vellore, local autorickshaws also use the NH causing problems. Locals drive their two wheelers and even four wheelers and tractors in opposite direction on the road for their convenience. NHAI maintenance workers work dangerously on the roads without putting up sufficient warning signals well ahead. In both directions, I saw only one Highway Patrol car and they had parked it at the Krishnagiri toll plaza and were dozing off.

[SSridhar]

TN Highway Patrols to be fitted with GPS

For a state with 155,000 KMs of road network including 3500 Kms of National Highway and with one of the highest accident rates in the country (55145 accidents in circa 2006 of which 10055 accidents were fatal killing 11009), the 126 patrol vehicles are grossly inadequate.

BSNL Chennai Telephones has tied up with the police department to equip highway patrols with GPRS/GPS devices that will help to enhance response to emergencies.

Under an agreement between Chennai Telephones and the State Traffic Planning Cell (STPC) of the Tamil Nadu Police, 126 patrol vehicles will be fitted with GPRS-based vehicle tracking solutions.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in the presence of Director-General of Police K.P. Jain and Chennai Telephones Chief General Manager M. P. Velusamy.

The control room that will track the movement of patrol vehicles will be located in the office of the Additional Director-General of Police, STPC.

Digital map

A GPS-based Geographic Information System will recreate a digital map of the highway grid across the State, along with a constellation of dots, to identify where the patrol vehicles are positioned.

“The facility will help the police instantly track down which vehicle is nearest to a site of emergency and reach help to that point,” a BSNL official told The Hindu. Chennai Telephones estimates that it will take at least one month for the facility to be commissioned.

The department will also release two pre-defined numbers to facilitate communication between patrol vehicles and the control room. BSNL’s network of base transceiver stations across the State will facilitate seamless connectivity between the control room and vehicles, the official said.

The plasma monitor in the control room will update the highway map every 30 seconds. The settings can also be changed to refresh every two minutes.

Chennai Telephones conceived the project as a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative to contribute to road safety.

The GPRS/GPS facility for highway patrols also ties in with the State’s Road Safety Policy aimed at achieving a 20 per cent reduction in fatalities and injuries by 2013, considering 2006 as the base year.

In a scenario of burgeoning vehicle population (growing at 10 per cent a year) and a static road structure, road accidents have been exacting a heavy toll of human lives year after year. It is estimated that each year, 10,000 persons are killed and several thousands more injured in road accidents.

[jkarthik]

126 sounds much lower than what's visible on the highways. Perhaps 126 out of a much larger no have been fitted with the gizmo.

I found TN highways to be the most heavily patrolled ones, and, it is rumoured, also the most aggressive in actually booking ppl for speeding etc. They have pretty mean looking, kitted-out qualises blistering with lamps etc on the Bangalore road, and, according to a fellow traveller whom I met at an A1 plaza, the ones around Vellore have nailed ppl for doing 100+ on an 80 zone.

Have also observed these qualises and other vehicles on the Trichy (GST) road. City patrolling, I know, is even stronger, eg Chennai has 150 Hyundai accents done up for pandu work, in addition to the jeeps and other contraptions.

BTW, Bangalore has introduced traffic tickets mailed to your home. They seem to have cameras in a few junctions and catch you jumping reds. Tickets come with your number plates snapped. You have to go to the local BangaloreOne (I think that's wat its called, its like the e-Seva center in Hyd) to cough up the fee.

[jkarthik]

BTW, the Congress's claim of having completed GQ is a criminal lie. Drove down from Mumbai to Chennai.

A) Road is absolutely fantastic upto Dharwad (~600 km from Mumbai).

Dharwad Hubli bypass is 2 lane, not 4 lane - Lie no 1

C) Once you cross Haveri, the stretch from Haveri to Chitradurga, a good 100 km, is nothing short of disaster
- Every 5 km. the 4 lane road disappears into a 2 lane mud track. There is little or no indication of a diversion. Worse, there is a triangular, 6 inch high speed breaker on the 4 lane stretch, 10 metres before the diversion begins, which is unpainted and has no signs. I hit at least 2 of these at 110 kph in broad daylight, imagine what would happen in the night. Survived due to beefy car (dont want to plug, so wont name it:) )
- No lane markers at all, or cats-eyes in the so called 4 lane stretch
- surfacing of 4 lane stretch worse than BMC surfacing in the Mumbai suburbs - round, half wheel deep potholes, clearly pre-GQ surface
- NHAI claims that other than 2-3 ROBs, this stretch is done, - Blatant lie, no 2. Its not just the ROBs, but every bypass along the highway is incomplete -eg Haveri, DAvangere, Ranebennur, Chitradurga
You can get a sense of how bad it was - We could do Kolhapur- Belgaum- Dharwad in 3 hours (300 km) and then took the same 3 hours to do Haveri- Chitradurga (100 km)

D) Road improves post Chitradurga but tanks again at Tumkur, with a series of diversions - Lie no 3

E) Sriperambudur onwards, there is a 4 lane road, but it is grossly insufficient. Hence, the commute is on GQ standard anyway- Lie no 4.

F) Worse, other than in Chitradurga, there is absolutely no sign of activity in the Haveri-Chitradurga stretch, its almost as if they've abandoned it to spite the NDA govt

Didnt want to bring politics into this, but you couldnt help wonder if there was a political angle to this as you drove down!

[Singha]

as always TN leads in a "strong" panda style governance. Indian road users respond only
to that mode of operation.

BLR continues to waste money on "e-gov" solutions than hiring more strong lads. half
the licenses in blr have expired addresses.

[bart]

There is a reason why the GQ work appears to have 'slowed down'. The fast moving work was building the actual highway, i.e on sparsely populated rural land. The current pending work is the 'last mile' into the urban centers and that is where it is painfully slow due to litigation, land acquisition and local political issues. For example the Blr-Chennai GQ stretch has been ready since ages, but the Sriperambudur - Maduravoyal - Chennai stretch of about 5 Km is what is holding back the completion. You can see now a bunch of houses on either side demolished, but even still the completion work there is crawling.

If that is the state of affairs in Chennai/TN, you can imagine how difficult it is in other cities.

[bart]

BTW, those who visited Chennai recently would have noticed that the Kathipara flyover has been completed (well, almost anyway - a couple of the on-ramps and access roads were still being built), and has significantly eased traffic pressure on the airport road. A visiting tourist coming from the airport would get a much better first impression now, given that the airport road is really well maintained and now the flyover looks good too. Now, they just need to renovate the airport and make it world class.

[Dileep]

Speeding tickets in this country is a joke!!

You have posted speed limits of 60kmph on nicely paved highways and 80kmph on excellent expressways. There are 40kmph limit on 2 lane NHs. That is ridiculous. You need to set realistic limits and then enforce it.

To think about it, the whole thing of traffic rule enforcement is a joke anyway. It starts with the "target" system for the pandus. "You have to collect Rupees 6 Lakhs this month as fine"

[Suraj]

The 'target' system applies in Unkil land too. There have been innumerable stories of cops having to fulfil a 'quota' for the month. Of course, they will strenuously deny it. The intent remains - skim the drivers for revenue. The traffic light cams, which have proliferated in the east/south bay, are the newest source.

As for speed limits, my aunt is a proud recipient of at least one speeding ticket on the NH47 between Cochin and Alleppey. She was going way too fast (>150 km/h) for the police jeep, so they radioed ahead to block the road and stop her, all for a Rs.100 fine

As for GQ completion, GoI has indeed dropped the ball on this, with the NIH syndrome being one reason - the GQ system will be remembered in Vajpayee's name, just as the US interstate system is named after Eisenhower.

[hanumadu]

My friend got a ticket for jumping the red signal in hyderabad. It was mailed to him along with a picture of him crossing the lines.

[Dileep]

I KNOW that I am an average driver because I felt right at comfort with the speed limits in US Freeways. Not the urge to go faster, and not the bored feeling of being slow.

I think the speed limit for a 4 lane Expressway std road in India should be 100kmph, and it should be enforced.

150kmph on the Ernakulam Alleppey stretch? She should be JAILED!!

[Sachin]

As for speed limits, my aunt is a proud recipient of at least one speeding ticket on the NH47 between Cochin and Alleppey. She was going way too fast (>150 km/h) for the police jeep, so they radioed ahead to block the road and stop her, all for a Rs.100 fine

Kerala I think has a very high number of Highway Patrolling vehicles out there. My understanding is that it is around 44 to 45. They were Toyota Qualis vehicles (like in Tamil Nadu), but now all of them have been replaced with Chevrolet Taveras. They are all on one single wireless grid, so the entire state highway police can be alerted on a single call. The idea was to equip every one of them with a speed gun/radar, but I think it is not fully implemented. They do how ever share a few speed guns on a rotational basis.

Your aunt should be lucky to get fined just for Rs.100/-. There are far more stricter sections in M.V. Act. The recent development is to fine Rs.1000/- using Sec 184 M.V Act (rash driving). But more than speeders this section is used againt drunk drivers.

I found TN highways to be the most heavily patrolled ones, and, it is rumoured, also the most aggressive in actually booking ppl for speeding etc.

A friend of mine got caught for over-speeding when returning from Chennai to Kerala by car. They were chased down by a T.N Highway Patrol vehicle, for over speeding. And they showed my friend the photographic evidence for over-speeding. Luckily my friend was a police man too, so they let him go away on the basis of "bhai..bhai".

[Dileep]

Yes, there are a number of highway patrol vehicles. But I have seen them doing only two things. One, parked near a thatu kada. Two, flagging down two wheelers without helmets and cars that go slow enough to see that the driver don't have seat belts on, and can respond to the wave of hands to pull over.

The ONLY rules they know are:

1. Helmet needed
2. Seat belt needed
3. Book and paper (ie license, registration, tax, insurance and pollution)

That's IT!! No knowledge (and hence enforcement) of lane discipline, yielding, or even signals. I doubt if some know even that RED = STOP. I say this because I saw cars jumping red and the police guy didn't flag him down.

[Suraj]

First, let me assure you I have nothing charitable to say about my aunt's driving. The incident in question occured 4-5 years back, soon after NH-47 was four-laned between Ernakulam and Shertallay, and probably before the Qualises were deployed there (as they apparently are now). The road was new, smooth, and a novelty for many people with new cars, significantly greater HP on command, and significantly dimished judgement. She got away lightly from the cops, but faced some flak from us.

As for traffic police, their capabilities are lagging the roads. There are some very good looking new roads in NCR and elsewhere, as the threads in the SSC Highways and Bridges forum shows.

Also, just the organization of the roads bears some second thought. We cannot have the standard western 2x2 highways, because of the number of two and three wheelers, powered or otherwise, that intrude. The key to smooth traffic is not more lanes, but effective separation of velocities, i.e. fast traffic having unimpeded flow, slow traffic getting their own lane. Also, basics like exit ramps and turn lanes are still not standardized. Sridhar had several interesting posts on the subject in the past, and the gist appears to be that while such standards are stated by the nodal roads body, they are not always implemented during road construction.

[Dileep]

You are absolutely right Suraj. Our needs are unique, so we need unique solutions. Let us take a step backwards and think about the basic problem.

1. Nothing less than an impenetrable barrier will keep us from intruding into some place.
2. Nothing less than a huge fine and hassles is a deterrent from breaking any rule.
3. Nothing less than a personal gain (or personal loss) would motivate someone to do his job, or obey the rules.

We are like this onlee, so as Rummy said, we got to fight with what we got!

Based on this, I have some solutions. This is based on the Cochin situation.

1. Elevated or walled off freeway segments connecting point to point, with on/off ramps for local service roads.
2. Wide area just after the offramp, so that backed up traffic will fill up there and act as a buffer to the freeway. (This is uniquely India specific method.)
3. Minimum fine should be the cost of 20 litres of petrol.

Now, my foolproof method of enforcement:

1. Make a video of violations. Explain in clear terms what is the violation and what is the problem with it. Show this on ALL TV channels repeatedly. Run ads in paper. Put flexos.
2. Show the same video to the pandu crowd. Ask them to catch violators
3. Give the pandu a digital video recorder to capture moving and parking violations. For every valid violation that he records, give him 30% of the fine.

Violations to be targeted:

1. Lane discipline.
2. Tailgating
3. Overtaking
4. Yielding.
5. Red Light.

That should do the trick.

[Sachin]

3. Give the pandu a digital video recorder to capture moving and parking violations.

Plans are already in place for procuring digital cameras and recording devices. Tenders have already been floated. But the primary idea I feel is to cover protest rallies etc., and pin point trouble makes in the crowd (for picking up later).

For every valid violation that he records, give him 30% of the fine.

I don't see this happening.

[BijuShet]

TN Highway Patrols to be fitted with GPS

For a state with 155,000 KMs of road network including 3500 Kms of National Highway and with one of the highest accident rates in the country (55145 accidents in circa 2006 of which 10055 accidents were fatal killing 11009), the 126 patrol vehicles are grossly inadequate.

...

It is estimated that each year, 10,000 persons are killed and several thousands more injured in road accidents.

...
As for speed limits, my aunt is a proud recipient of at least one speeding ticket on the NH47 between Cochin and Alleppey. She was going way too fast (>150 km/h) for the police jeep, so they radioed ahead to block the road and stop her, all for a Rs.100 fine
...

...
A friend of mine got caught for over-speeding when returning from Chennai to Kerala by car. They were chased down by a T.N Highway Patrol vehicle, for over speeding. And they showed my friend the photographic evidence for over-speeding. Luckily my friend was a police man too, so they let him go away on the basis of "bhai..bhai".

Based on the report from Sridhar's link one cannot deny that road safety in India is poor and we have lost far too many people in avoidable accidents. Then I read 2 posts from 2 Admins making light hearted comments about their acquaintance driving poorly and getting away lightly. This reflects badly on an otherwise exceptional thread. Admins please refrain from posting such comments or consider editing your posts. With power comes responsibility and I hope admins understand that other members may take it as acceptable behavior to condone or promote unsafe and illegal practices.

[Suraj]

BijuShet: did you read the subsequent post of mine, specifically the very first sentence ? The anecdote isn't 'lighthearted' - it's meant to convey that some things have been implemented (speeding ticketing), but other issues with implementation (actual fines) remain a concern. The smiley is meant to imply how ridiculous a Rs.100 fine is for the anecdote in question.

[BijuShet]

BijuShet: did you read the subsequent post of mine, specifically the very first sentence ? The anecdote isn't 'lighthearted' - it's meant to convey that some things have been implemented (speeding ticketing), but other issues with implementation (actual fines) remain a concern. The smiley is meant to imply how ridiculous a Rs.100 fine is for the anecdote in question.

Suraj, I did read your next post and understood that you were not condoning the act. It was the smiley that got my goat and hence the use of "light-hearted" in my post. I agree that Rs 100 is a small amount by the current standards but it is still some form of economic punishment (it is not a slap but a pinch).

I did not corelate your use of smiley for sarcasm and hence was kind of ticked that 2 Admins were being so caveliar about important life and death issues like road safety. Most Indians think that death in a road accident is more probable than in a terrorist incident and that speaks volumes of how much we need to achieve to improve our country.

[Sumeet]

3. Give the pandu a digital video recorder to capture moving and parking violations.

Plans are already in place for procuring digital cameras and recording devices. Tenders have already been floated. But the primary idea I feel is to cover protest rallies etc., and pin point trouble makes in the crowd (for picking up later).

For every valid violation that he records, give him 30% of the fine.

I don't see this happening.

its happening, the thing has been tested at IFFCO chowk in NCR

The image link below is a very clear scan of TOI article describing in details whats happening:

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/1871 ... ggnar2.jpg

[Suraj]

I apologize for the misunderstanding. It's rather hard to get tones and emotions across on a forum post when constrained to a selection of smileys. I responded to Dileep's statement about the fact that my aunt ought to be jailed, by affirming that I was no fan of her driving. Perhaps the whine smiley would have been a better option, but its too late to change the original post.

I've driven down than road over the course of a quarter of a century. For long, it was a 2-laned undivided highway where there were many accidents (and close shaves I was involved in due to the speeding buses). Now it's a quality 4-laned divided highway, but a magnet for speeders, particularly since Cochin is a wealthy city with quite a few people owning decent cars (Accord, Camry, Mercedes E class level). Anyway, let's move on, now that we've clarified things.

[BijuShet]

I apologize for the misunderstanding. It's rather hard to get tones and emotions across on a forum post when constrained to a selection of smileys.
...
Anyway, let's move on, now that we've clarified things.

No apologies necessary. Just the advise of caution when posting as it may be misunderstood.

Clarifications duly noted and agreed that it's time to move on. Lets get back to batting for mother India.

[Dileep]

My solutions are based on the axioms preceding them. Sharing the fines with the pandus, with a check/balance to see that the convictions are real is a surefire way of enforcement. I know that will not happen.

[SSridhar]

Our Highways Department is still sticking to older speed limits on the new, well-constructed NHs. I saw a ridiculous limit of 50 on a stretch of NH46 where I could not see a reason for such a low limit. There was no other speed limit indicator anywhere else on the entire stretch of NH4/NH46/NH7 upto Bangalore from Chennai. Frankly, I do not know what is the normal speed limit on NHs.

[Dileep]

I believe it is 80kmph max on any public road.

[Rupesh]

I believe it is 80kmph max on any public road.

80kmph is for express highways/4 laned roads for the rest its 40/50 kmph depending upon traffic and road conditions. For most of 2 laned NH's its 50 kmph

[SSridhar]

I believe it is 80kmph max on any public road.

80kmph is for express highways/4 laned roads for the rest its 40/50 kmph depending upon traffic and road conditions. For most of 2 laned NH's its 50 kmph

That explains the speed limit I saw on NH46.

[Sachin]

Then I read 2 posts from 2 Admins making light hearted comments about their acquaintance driving poorly and getting away lightly. This reflects badly on an otherwise exceptional thread. Admins please refrain from posting such comments or consider editing your posts. With power comes responsibility and I hope admins understand that other members may take it as acceptable behavior to condone or promote unsafe and illegal practices.

What I wished to say in that post was:-
1. The T.N Highway Patrol vehicles are active in patrolling the National Highways and also possess some gadgets to catch speed violaters .
2. I also added that the T.N Highway Patrol stopped the speeding vehicle and showed the driver (my friend was not driving, it was a rented vehicle) the evidence for speeding. They did not actually charge sheet the party, because the party also had another police man. But warnings were given. I guess it is pretty much a common practise in law enforcing agencies across the world, to give show some leniency towards another chap in the same job .

its happening, the thing has been tested at IFFCO chowk in NCR

My post was in response to Dileep's post saying that 30% of the fine amount would be given to the police man/department. It was not about digital cameras and surveillance . Bangalore City is now experimenting with cameras placed in various busy junctions. Their input is monitored from a specific police station. More than to book traffic violators, this is now used to identify traffic jams etc .

[BijuShet]

A friend of mine got caught for over-speeding when returning from Chennai to Kerala by car. They were chased down by a T.N Highway Patrol vehicle, for over speeding. And they showed my friend the photographic evidence for over-speeding. Luckily my friend was a police man too, so they let him go away on the basis of "bhai..bhai".

The bolded portion got my goat. As before I recommend choosing your words carefully. Unknowingly you may lead others here to believe that you condone letting offenders get away based on bhai-chara. Imagine if Income Tax dept starts behaving this way or the ATS lets one get away based on brotherly love. Professional courtesy is usually extended among serving law enforcement officials but that does not make it an acceptable practice. Atleast that is my opinion on this issue. I understand that your post was not malicious in intent but since enough ganga jal has poured into the ocean since our last posts, I say bhool chook maaf ho aur sab milke bolo "Bharat mata ki Jai" and aagay badho

[Rupesh]

Reason why Road development has slowed down...............


http://www.dailypioneer.com/indexn12.as ... nter_img=2

Baalu does it again
The Pioneer Edit Desk

Yet another NHAI chief faces the axe

The various plans for national highway development have not taken off under the UPA and at least one reason for this incapacity seems apparent. The Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, Mr TR Baalu has a penchant for interfering in the workings of the National Highways Authority of India, which is a top implementing body under his Ministry. The NHAI was created by an Act of Parliament, it handles a budget of crores of rupees and is responsible for development, maintenance and management of national highways. Yet, the Minister has no respect for its top management. He just does not appear to be able to leave it alone. It has been reported that there are differences between the Minister and the chairman, Mr Gokulram, over various organisational matters and a move is afoot to relieve the latter. Apparently, Mr Gokulram has expressed serious reservations about the Minister's excessive interference in the workings of the NHAI, including in the constitution of the board and in the delegation of work. Mr Gokulram is not the first chairman to so complain and he will not be the first to be eased out. If he is removed, the NHAI would see its fourth chairman within a year. Such frequent changes in the top personnel of the organisation cannot be good for its working. The previous incumbents of the post had also complained of interference by the Minister. No doubt the Minister for National Highways and Roads has a certain role to play and is ultimately responsible to Parliament and to the people. Yet, he cannot define his role in such a manner as to be detrimental to the functioning of the NHAI and ultimately to infrastructure development plans so crucial for India's growth.




It is no coincidence that the NHAI has performed best when its chairmen and other officials have been given a sufficiently long time at the helm as well as a free hand. Performance with regard to national highway development was at its peak during the NDA years when there was comparative stability at the top levels of the organisation. This was the golden era of the Golden Quadrilateral project and of other highway development projects. It is also no coincidence that national performance with regard to these highway projects has taken a nose-dive and it has happened during Mr Baalu's time in office. It is unfortunate that performance has stagnated in this key area of infrastructural development. Clearly as Minister in charge he has to bear the responsibility for this lackadaisical performance. If the national highway projects in India are failing, it is because of Mr Baalu's meddling attitude, the reason for which does not require elaboration. He wants his own people in as that would allow him to have his finger in every piew.

[SSridhar]

Speed Limit on NHs to be raised to 100 kmph

Are they reading BR ?