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Akhilesh Srivastava, Chief General Manager, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has made innumerable contributions to Indian construction industry and also developed many software applications.

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NHAI Expedites ‘Mission 300’ Highway Megaproject

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) has ordered the expedition of its ambitious cluster project, Mission 300, and has pegged the launch date to the end of 2018. Mission 300, of which the recently-opened 14-lane Delhi-Meerut Expressway (DME) is a part of, is a cluster undertaking of the construction of 300 highways and expressways within a short span of time.

Taking cue from the MoRTH, the National Highways Authority of India will now accelerate the construction of the Mission projects. If completed in time, Mission 300 will be one of the largest and most efficient engineering feats the NHAI has undertaken till date. The enterprise complements the NHAI and Central government’s ongoing efforts to modernise highway infrastructure.

The MoRTH and the NHAI, according to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari (MoRTH), are planning to aim for 450 highways and expressways and building at least 300 of them by January. The original date for the realisation of the Mission 300 projects was affixed to April 2019; however, the government decided to prepone the launch.

The NHAI conceptualised 150 highway projects under the Mission, and is working on 416 other highway projects. The highways agency, through Mission 300, is aiming to realise the Centre’s target of laying 40 km of roads every day, according to reliable news outlets. The projects will help the NHAI ease the increasing traffic clutter in and around the metropolitan regions of the country and reduce air pollution levels.

An example of the magnitude of change the Mission will bring is the Delhi-Meerut Expressway mentioned in the introduction. The 14-lane expressway is the widest road network in India and its first phase has already begun easing traffic and reducing pollution between Delhi and Meerut.

The Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) – launched alongside the first phase of DME – is also a part of Mission 300 and cost the government exchequer Rs 11,000 crores. The Expressway provides vehicles in the National Capital Region (NCR) a 6-lane bypass, using which they can travel from cities in NCR to destinations around New Delhi without actually having to travel through the Capital city.

The mega infrastructure goal, Mission 300, will aid the government’s bid to provide higher road connectivity to rural and remote regions in the nation. It also will help in connecting economic zones via highways and expressways besides decongesting city areas and improving trade and commerce.

Mission 300 comprises just a few of the numerous road-infrastructure projects the NHAI has undertaken under the MoRTH.

Some of the other noteworthy highway ventures being pursued by the highways body include: Bharatmala Pariyojana, Wayside Amenities (WSAs), Electronic Toll Collection (ETC), Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS), industrial drones and remote sensing for highway projects, GPS tolling, and India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway (IMTTH).

Of these, WSA, ETC, Sukhad Yatra, the ATMS, drones, and the IMTTH have already reached completion or are already functional. In addition to developing expressways and national highways, the NHAI also is integrating technology, such as surveillance systems, to monitor these projects and prevent incidents such as accidents and grid locks.

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NHAI to Build Highways to Enhance Connectivity

Highways make a crucial contribution to economic development & growth. They bring important social benefits like providing access to employment, social, health and education services make a road network crucial in fighting against poverty. Highways open up more areas and encourage economic and social development. For these reasons, highways infrastructure is the most important of all public assets.

An efficient highway transport is a pre-requisite for the sustained economic development. National Highways are an integral part of the transport system. In order to maximize economic and social benefits, country’s highway network should be efficient. They play a significant role in achieving national development and contributing to the overall performance and social functioning of the community.

In India, only 2% of Indian road network comes under National Highways but it carries 40% of the automobile traffics. It signifies the importance of National Highways in the Indian economy. The number of National highways has gradually increased over the years with the improvement in connectivity between cities, towns, and villages in the country.

In the financial year, 2018 agencies under National Highways Authority of India hit the record of 10,000 km stretched highway construction. The total investment in constructing national highways by both the government and private investors was about Rs 1.5 lakh crore, of which almost Rs 1 lakh crore came from budgetary allocation, turnover of toll collections and borrowings by the National Highways Authority of India.

The government, through a series of initiatives, is working on policies to attract significant investor interest. The Indian government plans to develop a total of 66,117 km of roads under different programmes such as National Highways Development Project (NHDP), Special Accelerated Road Development Programme in North East (SARDP-NE) and Left Wing Extremism (LWE). To improve the connectivity between ports and remote villages, the government has identified the development of 2,000 km of coastal roads.

As a part of long-term goal of doubling the length of the national highway network to 200,000 km, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) plans to build 50,000 km of roads worth US$ 250 billion by 2022. Under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), the Government of India will spend around Rs 1 lakh crore (US$ 15.26 billion) during FY 18-20 to build roads in the country. For the construction of new roads and highways over the next five years, the Government of India has decided to invest Rs 7 trillion (US$ 107.82 billion).

NHAI is now dedicated to providing a pleasing experience to the regular highway commuters. To address the issues that affect the highway commuters NHAI has introduced electronic toll collection / FASTag, FASTaglanes in the toll plaza to void the queue, checks the cleanliness at toll plazas, behaviour of the toll plaza staff, wayside amenities, functioning of Highway Nest (Mini), and availability of ambulance and cranes in case of an emergency on the highway. Accordingly, a massive drive was launched on more than 300 toll plazas simultaneously across the country by the Highway Operation Division.

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NHAI Bonds, LIC and EPFO to Finance around Rs. 1 Lakh Crore for Highway Construction Programmes

The Road Transport and Highways Ministry have decided to raise around Rs. 1 lakh crore through a well devised off budgetary mechanism in the coming financial year in order to fund several of their highway construction projects. This hefty amount is going to be raised via the National Highways Authority of India’s bonds, institutional financing from the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), from the Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) and also from various other market borrowings.

The Authorities from NHAI and the Road Ministry have claimed that they are also planning on generating the associated revenue via the highway monetisation programme under the popular Toll-Operate-Transfer scheme and also from the forthcoming and other future investment funds of NHAI. The Chairman of the National Highways Authority of India, Mr Deepak Kumar stated that they are currently working on strategies to generate Rs. 1 lakh crore for the forthcoming financial year. He further stated that 70% of this expenditure is going to be raised by the funds and borrowings while the rest 30% will be generated by the highway monetisation programme.

Many officials are flabbergasted with the amount because of the fact that it is almost twice as what they have had to generate this year which was near to Rs. 47,000 crore. The proposal for the NHAI investment funds has been further looked into by the highest authority board back on March 15th 2018. The announcement regarding the same was made in the financial budget speech by the finance minister. Mr Deepak Kumar further emphasised saying that they are seeking the approval from the board following which they will come up with a concrete plan of action for these investments and revenue generation.

As per the reports, the Road Ministry, for the upcoming fiscal year, is expecting to construct around 12,000 km of roads and highways and will award a record of 25,000 km. The allocated budget for this year has been raised to Rs. 71,000 crore from Rs. 61,000 crore which was passed for the financial year of 2017-18. The stretch of construction this year is expected to be around 10,000 km which is by far the highest to be constructed.

Owing to the successful implementation of the Bharatmala highway construction programme, 34,800 km of highways are expected to be constructed by the end of 2022 with an estimated expenditure of Rs. 5.35 lakh crore. The Government is planning on bearing these costs with market borrowings, highway monetisation, central road funds and budgetary allocation. If reports are to be believed, Rs. 2.09 lakh crore will come from market borrowings, Rs. 1.06 crore through private investment and the rest from the central road fund and toll operate transfer model.

With a vision ahead with the Bharatmala programme, the Road Ministry of India is implementing ways to better the road and highway infrastructure of the country. Several ambitious highway projects are expected to be executed in the near future, the outcome of which is going to boost the overall economic development of the country.

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Recent Technological Initiatives of NHAI

The technology is progressing like never before. It is evident in the rate of technological upgradation happening across the world. The governments are leveraging technology like never before. Many of the problems, which have been dragging the development of the world, could be solved using various technologies and their applications. So, the government of India is leaving no stone unturned in using technology to churn out changes from the technology. It has advised its departments and bodies to prepare a ground for digitalisation. Accordingly, the NHAI has been implementing tech-based initiatives.

The National Highways Authority of India is a statutory body established under NHAI Act 1988. This autonomous body functions under the aegis of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). The NHAI is vested with the responsibility of developing, managing and maintaining of the allocated portion of the National Highway Network.

The amount of trade happening across the country has been raising its bars day on day, which could be attributed to financial reforms. But, without investing much on the trade-facilitating infrastructural front, it wouldn’t be possible for the government to tap the benefits of the reforms. In India, the national highways are considered as trade facilitators as they support 40% of all the trade happening across the country, though they constitute just 2% of the Indian roadways. For the same reason, they are also referred as arterial networks of India. So, the government has been investing in the development of national highways to absorb the problems that would be arising from trade-traffic. In the process of meeting its objectives, the NHAI has been making ways for diverse technologies. Some of its tech-based innovations are:

FASTag

To control congestion near Toll Plazas, the NHAI along with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has introduced FASTag Toll collection system. Many of the Fin-tech companies came forward to complement this initiative by the government of India. FASTags are coded unique tags, which works on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology.

Commuters can purchase the FASTags from the authorised dealers. They should be linked to the bank accounts in order to make them function. Commuters need to fix the FASTags to their vehicles’ windscreens to allow the RFID sensors to easily detect. When a FASTagged vehicle passes by the FASTag-enabled Toll Plaza, then without any human intervention the Toll would be deducted from the bank accounts linked to that. Commuters would receive once their Toll payments are processed.

Sukhad Yatra App

To empower the highways’ commuters to demand accountability and getting their issues solved, the NHAI with its technical partners has come up with a mobile application named Sukhad Yatra, which means ‘Happy Journey’. Using this App, the commuters can report on the conditions and maintenance of national highways and also can produce visual evidence.

There are many commuter-centric features embedded in this App such as Nearby Toll Plaza, Report an issue, Nearby, and Toll Plaza Enroute. Commuters can get to know information about all the Toll Plazas prior to the start of their journeys. The NHAI has also provided commuters with an option of Purchasing FASTag from this App.

There are a lot more developments that would be coming from the NHAI and a lot of developments would be powered by technological advancements in the coming days.

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NHAI Created History by Awarding Projects Worth Rs 1,22,000 Crores

The infrastructure sector in India is taking more and more positive strides day on day. The Government of India is leaving no opportunity to improve the infrastructure in India. The roadway sector in India, which is one of the largest trade facilitators, is catching the momentum of infrastructure growth. The sector is pulling/attracting investments from across the globe. Accordingly, the National Highways Authority of India, in the financial year of 2017-2018, sanctioned highway development projects worth Rs 1.2 lakh crores. This feat by the NHAI reflects the prospects of the highways sector in India.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which is a statutory body of government of India, was created to develop and maintain a large chunk of the national highway network. This autonomous body works under the aegis of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). For the past 2 decades, the NHAI has embarked on a mission to upgrade the status/condition of the national highways of India. In the year 1998, it started a program named National Highways Development Program (NHDP) to modernise the national highways according to the changing times. In 2015, the government of India has launched ‘Bharatmala Pariyojana’, a program aimed at configuring the national highways on par with the rising demands.

The ‘Bharatmala Pariyojana’ is one of the major factors that made NHAI award 150 new projects worth Rs 1,22,000 crores in the financial year 2017-18. 7,400 km of national highways will be developed under these 150 new projects. Compared to the average length of road projects flagged off by the NHAI in the last 5 financial years, which is 2,860 km, the financial year 2017-18 saw a great surge in the highways sector.

The rise in the speed of development of the projects is attributed to factors like change in the procedure of sanctioning projects under EPC and various measures/financial models that have been implemented by the NHAI for the last one year. Some of the measures taken by the NHAI are:

The Hybrid Annuity Model, which is termed as a game-changer in the developmental works pertaining to highways, is boosting the confidence of investors with promised returns.

The Toll-Operate-Transfer (TOT) model is one of the revolutionary financial models of NHAI. This model is part of NHAI’s Asset Recycling Plan. Through this model, in the last financial year, the NHAI called for bids to maintain different stretches of the national highway network. The bids were successful and the NHAI earned good revenue out of them.

From November 2017, the MoRTH delegated the NHAI board with powers of sanctioning Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) projects. To this effect, the NHAI has created two committees namely High powered Projects Appraisal Committee and Cost Committee.

This financial year 2018-19, is going to witness the same trend of awarding the contracts from NHAI. If the NHAI maintains the same momentum in the coming years, then the ambitious targets set under the ‘Bharatmala Pariyojana’ by the government of India would be met by the NHAI.

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NHAI is Mulling to Pull Equity Investors to Finance Highway Projects

The investment climate in India is taking positive turn day on day. As investors see a ray of hope in Indian markets, many investments pour in across many core sectors. The National Highways Authority of India is contemplating this situation on how the highway sector could benefit out of this context. Accordingly, it has come up with a plan to rope equity investors to finance its development projects.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), a statutory body of Government of India, is an autonomous authority under the aegis of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), which was assigned with the development and maintenance of the assigned national highways. From its inception, it has been innovating new ways in fulfilling its responsibilities.

In its mission to revamp the national highway network, the NHAI is leaving no stone unturned. It has been experimenting new financial models to fund its massive projects. Recently it started experimenting financing models like Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) and Toll-Operate-Transfer (TOT). Now, it is mulling to look for “equity” investments in the highway sector.

Under Hybrid Annuity Model, the Government itself would be providing an upfront investment of 40% to the developer and the rest would be paid in installments. This model is first of its kind in the highway sector in India. This model of investment could shed fears of investment-related returns as the government would be promising returns.

Toll-Operate-Transfer (TOT) is one such innovative financial model that would solve multiple problems at a go. It is part of NHAI’s Asset Recycling Plan, wherein both the NHAI and the contractors would get benefitted. This model proved more successful and the NHAI has received bids in an unprecedented manner.

Riding high on the positive response it received from TOT model, the NHAI is expecting the same to happen with the equity investments in highway development projects. Around 46,000 crores worth of new projects may be developed through equity investments. The NHAI is even looking to tap Pension funds and National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (If there is a chance).

As the NHAI got immersed in works with ambitious targets, there would be no wonder if it comes with many such innovative financial models.

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NHAI is Reshaping its Operations with Recent Technologies

The role of the technology in shaping the world into a better place can’t be ignored. The world has seen the effect of the science and technology post-industrial revolution, which happened in the late 18th century. Now, the technology is influencing the way we live and we experience things. The influx of tech-enabled devices is making it easy for both the society as well as governing bodies. The Government of India has launched a program ‘Digital India’ to expand the footprint of India in the Digital world. It encouraged every wing and department, which is under its fold, to adopt latest technologies to alleviate problems. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is one of the bodies that are contending for a top position to embrace new technologies.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), is a statutory that was established for the development and maintenance of the assigned part of National Highway network. In its journey for taking the national highways to their next levels, the NHAI has knocked the doors of technology.

The NHAI has even created an IT and Highway operations that reflects its priorities related to technology. The Highway operations division has been at the forefront in implementing the technology-led initiatives. Some of its noteworthy initiatives are:

FASTag - To get rid of waiting at Toll Plazas, the NHAI has developed FASTag Toll Collection System, which is also referred as Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system. Using this system, the NHAI could reduce the amount of congestion at its Toll Plazas. Soon, every NHAI operated Toll Plaza will be getting at least one dedicated FASTag lane on either side. The Government of India has even passed an order mandating FASTag for every vehicle purchased after November 2017.

Advanced Traffic Incident Management System

To curb the rise in the fatality rate on national highways, the NHAI has come up with the Advanced Traffic Incident Management System. Through this system, the field staff of the NHAI will be equipped with the equipment that can deal with emergencies. The entire process of managing emergencies would be tracked using Global Positioning System (GPS). And recently a Toll-Free number-1033 was launched to report accidents and receive emergency support.

There are many other instances and areas where the NHAI has used different and multiple technologies to combat commuter-centric problems.

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NHAI is Experimenting Different Financial Models for Funding its Projects

The Government of India has accorded a priority status to the Infrastructure sector. This move can be termed as a strategic one as it would wave a green flag to the interested-investors. Every sector is going to reap benefits from this much-awaited move. The highway sector in India is going to be one of the gaining grounds for investors as many relevant indices are blinking in favour of it. Reflecting the same, the NHAI started wooing investors with different financial models.

How important is this for NHAI?

Though the investment climate is good, that doesn’t mean the investors rush to every field with the same interest. They weigh many options before arriving at a conclusion. So, the cash-craving sectors need to win the confidence of investors through promising prospects as normally shining sectors will obviously take the first seat in paving ways for investments.

So, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), to allay fears and doubts of prospective investors and replace them with confidence, has been coming up with new financial models to fund its development projects.

Moves made by the NHAI in this regard:

The NHAI has been strategically heading to meet its credit needs. Some of its recent financial models, which deserve praises, are:

Hybrid Annuity Model:

The name is saying that this model is a hybrid of different models. Hybrid Annuity Model is first of its kind in highways sector as well as in India. This is a hybrid of Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) and Engineering-Procurement-Construction (EPC) models. The NHAI has adopted this model to renew the pace of stalled projects in the highway sector. Under this model, the NHAI would provide an upfront investment of 40% of the total project cost estimates and provide the rest of the mentioned time intervals.

TOT Model:

This model is a win-win game for both NHAI and Investors. To fund its developmental works, the NHAI has come up with Toll-Operate-Transfer (TOT) model. Under this model, the NHAI would award contracts to concessionaires to collect Toll for the routes, which the NHAI called for bids. Apart from collecting Toll Tax, the contractors shall have to maintain the highways according to the standards that would be the part of the agreement.

Till date, the NHAI has raised good amount, which went beyond its expectations. The NHAI and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) considered this model as one of the more successful models and trying to imitate this across all sectors.

In the coming days, the NHAI is sure to come with more innovative financial models, where the benefits trickle down to commuters.

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National Highways of India are Transforming at a Breakneck Pace

A booming economy is ahead for India, the infrastructure growth is happening in an unparalleled manner. Ranging from Roadways to Railways and Steel to Software, every sector is witnessing this mega moment of the influx of investments. Even investors are feeling that it is the right time to test the waters. Among all the sectors, the highway sector is catching the eyes of the public for its unprecedented moves. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is one of the responsible factors that made this happen.

The National Highways Authority of India, which is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), is a statutory body, which was established by the parliament of India, to develop and maintain a major chunk of national highways. It has embarked on a mission to drive the development of national highways at a pace that had never happened before. Accordingly, it got immersed in projects like Bharatmala Pariyojana, which could complement the projects like National Highways Development Program (NHDP).

Under the Bharatmala Pariyojana, the Government of India (GoI) is planning to spend around $ 106 billion to reshape 83,677 Km of Roadways across India. By doing so, there would be development and economic growth down the road. Also, Sagarmala project, which is aimed at tapping the benefits of port-led economic development, will enable the Bharatamala Pariyojana to meet its objectives.

This year, to everyone’s surprise, the NHAI has already awarded highway development contracts, for which the value is more than 50% of last year works. By March 2018, the awards’ value might cross 1Lakh Crore, which would be a historic feat for NHAI if everything goes according to the plan. Experts believe that the same trend will be continued in the coming financial years as many socio-economical barriers of development are withering out gradually.

The Government of India is also hoping the same to repeat in many sectors as the infrastructure is the key factor for any country to propel and prosper.

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NHAI Administers Different Ways for Strict Monitoring of Road Conditions

With the overwhelming mishaps occurring on the roads and highways owing to the deteriorating conditions, the National Highways Authority of India has advised and implemented ways to mitigate these occurrences. These steps and advices have strictly administered by the authorities to cope with the overbearing mishaps and the degrading conditions of the roads.

The official statement was ruled out by National Highways Authority of India on March 05th 2018 addressing all the field officials stating that they are solely responsible for the strict monitoring of the battered road conditions. This doesn’t just limit to the stages of monitoring but also applies to how the officials are rectifying these damaged roads to enhance safety and induce smooth journey for the commuters.

The Chairman of this autonomous organisation, Mr Deepak Kumar has issued a statement saying that the damages would be levied and the concerned changes and modifications will be implemented if the contractor fails to live up to the obligations. NHAI is working vehemently to ensure a smooth, comfortable and good quality journey for the commuters.

In a recently issued statement, the officials claimed that NHAI has explained the necessary requirements to the regional officers and other concerned authorities to not just monitor these degrading road conditions but also take timely actions to mend those damaged stretches through the various concessionaires and contractors. The Chairman of NHAI further emphasised on the fact that there would be severe consequences in regards to any kind of laxity imposed by any of the involved engineers.

Apart from all of this, the non-PPP projects which are directly undertaking of the NHAI, it is the responsibility of the designated officers to inspect and implement any kind of necessary changes or rectifications in regards to the conditions of the Indian roads and highways. These administered regulations are expecting to make the traffic conditions worthy and conforms the maintenance requirements.

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National Green Highway Mission by NHAI for a Sustainable Environment on Highways

The growth of an economy is acknowledged by the highways in India, only 2% of Indian road network comes under National Highway but it carries 40% of the automobile traffics. It signifies the importance of National Highways in the Indian economy. But the growth of highways has some inevitable consequences like environmental degradation in the form of deforestation. The situation gradually becomes critical as the traffic is contributing in releasing greenhouse gases. This leads to global warming and loss of biodiversity.

With an aim to reduce the adverse effect of deforestation on the environment, National Highways Authority of India has taken some initiatives like “Adopt A Green Highway” programme. The National Green Highways Mission (NGHM) is established by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) under National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) with a vision to develop green corridors along national highways for the sustainable environment and inclusive growth. National Highways Authority of India has introduced a policy to maintain an environmental balance. The new policy explains that NHAI spends 1% of the project’s total cost for planting of trees along the national highways.

Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Roads & Highways says that road implementation agencies are directly responsible to develop green corridors along all the national highways. Adding to his speech, he says that the satellites will monitor the whole project. Satellites Gagan and Bhuvan keep track on each tree. And also the Authority announces that on World Environment Day, the best three performers of the year will be rewarded.

Recently National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Airport Authority of India (AAI) have signed a formal Memorandum of Agreement to develop green corridor covering 16.55 km of NH 56 and NH 29 along Varanasi bypass. For plantation and maintenance work, AAI has agreed to provide their CSR (corporate social responsibility) funds of Rs 5 crore for five years.

National Green Highways Mission (NGHM) under NHAI has already collaborated with Power Finance Corporation Ltd. (PFC) for plantations work on NH 7 in Nagpur region (Borkhedi – Wadner, & Khatara – Kelapur) covering 87 km Stretch.

To engage the governmental organisation with corporate and public sector units, it is initiated by the NHAI. For keeping the ecological asset safe, NHAI hopes that this collaboration of NHAI and AAI will encourage public-private partnership and PSUs (Public Sector Undertaking) can also donate their CSR funds for developing green corridor.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Government of India has announced Green Highways Policy to develop green corridors along National Highways for the sustainable environment and inclusive growth. It comprises of Plantations, Transplantations, Beautification and Maintenance of the plantation. Roadside plantations have immense potential to enhance the green cover of the nation and generate employment opportunities for the rural community.

Green Highways Division under National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has been assigned with the task of planning, implementation and monitoring roadside plantations along one lakh km network of National Highways. It generates one lakh direct employment opportunity in plantations sector in next ten years.

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NHAI Submits Detailed Reports for 2 U-turns on NH-8 in Phase 2

The National Highways Authority of India recently submitted a detailed project report concerning the grade separated U-turn underpass located near the Ambience Mall along with the additional U-turn near the DLF-Phase 2 situated on the national highway number 08. The prepared project report has gone for approval to the headquarters of NHAI in New Delhi. The officials associated with the project are expecting that the approved tender will be issued within 15 days or so and the construction work will commence from mid-April itself.

In the initial days of the project, the National Highways Authority of India made a detailed feasibility report of this project to check whether or not the project was even worth the time and investment. The project director of NHAI (Gurugram), Mr Ashok Sharma has stated that following the feasibility report, the project report was prepared which has then been forwarded to the head office for approval after which the tenders will be issued if the project is finalised and approved.

As per the reports, the U-turn near the Ambience Mall is going to be 377 m long integrated with a four-lane, grade separated U-turn exiting from it. On similar grounds, the DLF Phase 2 U-turn is going to be 455 m long with three lanes, grade separated. NHAI officials stated that the Phase 2 U-turn will be similar to the unidirectional flyover they have constructed in Iffco Chowk. It will help in directing the commuters from Cyber City to easily take a U-turn towards Delhi.

Further reports have revealed that the U-turn near the Ambience Mall will also have its very own service road 559 m long and 7 m wide. Similarly, even the one near DLF Phase 2 will have their own service road, with dimensions of 490 m long and 7.5 m wide. These U-turns will also have its own bus bay shelters on either side of the pass. Amidst it all, there is one feature that will not be incorporated into this project and that is the lack of foot-over bridges that were implemented in several previous projects by NHAI.

With regards to the detailed report, estimates of the flow of traffic near these U-turns and passes have been made to ensure relative mitigation in times of need. As per the reports, the average passenger car unit for the U-turn underpass near Ambience Mall is expected to be around 4880 during the peak hours which will subside gradually.

Another additional point mentioned in the project report is about the land acquisition. The U-turns are proposed on land parcels adjoining the existing national highway 8 that are Huda green belts. The Haryana State Government along with the MCG have agreed to bear 50% of the expense of the construction of the U-turn underpass and 25% for the elevated U-turn. The remaining of the expenditure is going to be borne by the National Highways Authority of India.

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Sukhad Yatra App and Toll-Free Number (1033) Empowers the Highway Commuters

Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari launched the Sukhad Yatra App and Toll-free Emergency number for Highway commuters. The GPS-powered Sukhad Yatra app – designed and developed by ComVision (India) Pvt. Ltd. – will provide location-specific information on domestic and national highways of India, which includes location of Toll plazas nearest to the user’s location and their tariffs, the cost of travelling between two plazas or stations in nearby area, travel discounts, and public facilities among others.

Ministry Of Road and Transport has also launched a new toll-free number, 1033 along with the Sukhad Yatra mobile app. The toll-free number will enable users to report an emergency condition, or highway-related feedback, across the highway. The public-friendly app developed by NHAI is a great step that drives the safety of the highway commuters.

Sukhad Yatra App

The GPS-powered Sukhad Yatra app – designed and developed by ComVision (India) Pvt. Ltd. – will provide location-specific information on domestic and national highways of India, which includes location of Toll plazas nearest to the user’s location and their tariffs, the cost of travelling between two plazas or stations in vicinity, travel discounts, and public facilities among others.

The main features of this app include provision for users to provide road quality-related information as well as report accidents or potholes on the highways.

Other facilities of this app include:

Complain about FASTag facility/lane

Complain about toll plaza management

Safety hazard during road construction along highways across the country

Online recharge of FASTag cards

Real-time data on toll plazas

Toll-free Number (1033)

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) recognises the importance of ensuring safe travel on National Highways. NHAI had assigned the work for the establishment of the Helpline using the 4-digit toll-free number “1033” to Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL). IHMCL decided to establish six call centres in different geographical zones - East, West, North-East, South, Delhi, and Chandigarh.

A pilot project has been launched by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for “Cashless Treatment of Road Accident Victims” on the following three highway stretches:

Gurgaon-Jaipur section of NH 8

Mumbai-Vadodara of NH 8

Ranchi-Rargaon-Mahulia of NH 33

The introduction of the toll-free service enables users to report emergencies such as accidents and provide highway related feedback. The toll-free service (1033) is also integrated with multi-lingual support and user location tracking to facilitate users with accurate and responsive complaint resolution.

As the highways are often characterised as the high volume of roads with a maximum number of fatalities and injuries so to diminish response time in case of an emergency, NHAI has introduced this 24X7 helpline number. Commuters can inform the authority about the inconvenience caused by the bad road condition, fallen tree, dharna and even if they stuck for flat tyre they can call the toll free helpline. For providing emergency services like ambulance, info about police patrol, control room and services related to removing the wrecked vehicles, NHAI needs just a call from the highway user’s end.

[sukhadyatra-blog]

Role of Technology in NHAI's Commuter-Centric Initiatives

The growing technological applications are pushing businesses, organisations, and governments to embrace technology at a faster pace. The concept of using the technology in the governance and administration was started way back in 2000’s. The National e-governance plan of the government of India, which was started by the government of India in 2006, was first of its kind then in India. This program initiated a slew of measures to fast-track the pace of technological adoption. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is one such organisation which has been at the forefront in leveraging different technologies.

The Government of India in the year 2015 launched ‘Digital India’, an ambitious program with a vision of creating a digitally empowered India. This initiative pushed government departments and ministries to come up with different citizen-centric initiatives. Accordingly, the NHAI has rolled out many tech-based initiatives and applications.

The National Highways Authority of India, which is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), is a statutory body of the Government of India. It was created for the development and maintenance of the major portion of the national highway network. Ranging from procurement of materials to project implementation and Serving commuters to structuring national highways, technology has taken the first seat in the journey of NHAI.

Here are some of the popular tech-led and tech-based initiatives flagged off by the NHAI:

FASTag

Earlier referred to Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system, the FASTag toll collection system has been benefitting commuters in a large way. The NHAI has launched this system to reduce congestion at Toll Plazas.

FASTag is an electronic tag, which works on Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID). This tag, when affixed to a vehicle’s windscreen, makes it easy for RFID sensors to detect the vehicle. When a FASTagged vehicle passes by a FASTag-enabled Toll Plaza, the RFID sensors detect the vehicle and deduct the Toll without a human intervention. This system is helping traders and commuters by making them move faster at Toll Plazas. The Government of India also made it mandatory to have a FASTag for every new vehicle purchased after November 2017. Accordingly, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) directed the NHAI to develop at least one dedicated FASTag lane on either side of all Toll Plazas operated by it. Many private fin-tech partners like Paytm and financial institutions have come forward to take this system to masses. As this system is an electronic one, the NHAI can gauge the traffic pertaining to highways, which would be useful for a perfect planning of future projects of it.

Sukhad Yatra App

This mobile App is commuter-centric. In the backdrop of raising complaints from commuters, the NHAI along with its technical partners has developed the Sukhad Yatra App, which translates to ‘Happy Journey’. Using this mobile application, commuters can report on issues faced by them while travelling on national highways. Commuters can get to know the coming Toll plaza and Toll Plaza enroute in advance through this App. The ‘Nearby’ feature of this App helps travellers/commuters to find nearby restaurants and amenities like Highway Nests and Highway Villages.

These are just two examples of how NHAI is letting technology to find ways to solve commuter-related problems. With this kind of developments, the national highway network of India is going to be more commuter-friendly in the coming days.

[sukhadyatra-blog]

NHAI Bonds to Boost Finances of Highways Sector

The rise in the significance of infrastructure is heeding to the demands of the world. The magnitude in which its importance is cementing has never happened before. But, many countries are finding it difficult to finance their infrastructure projects, which require a huge investment. So, the governments across the world are looking for new options to fund the infrastructural projects and fill the gaps. The Government of India is much more special in this regard as it is trying to tap the untapped funds, which is first of its kind in India. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is planning to raise funds up to 1 Lakh Crore from NHAI bonds, LIC and EPFO investments.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which was created to develop and maintain the major chunk of national highways of India, is a statutory and autonomous body of Government of India. It works under the aegis of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, India. Till date, under the guidance of NHAI, the highways sector in India has witnessed many note-worthy developments. Some of its landmark projects like National Highways Development Project (NHDP), Bharatmala Pariyojana are considered as massive projects for the scale of the development they were intended to.

In the process of developing and maintaining national highways, the NHAI has faced many hurdles and bottlenecks. It dealt them with innovative and revolutionary measures/steps. At present, the NHAI is planning to develop the highway infrastructure at a faster pace. So, to finance such projects, the NHAI is leaving no stone unturned. It is exploring new financing options like Bonds, Insurance funds, Equities, Asset recycling, and so forth.

One of the most successful financial models is Toll-Operate-Transfer (TOT). This is part of NHAI’s Asset Recycling Plan. Under this plan, the existing highways would be leased to interested parties to collect Toll and also maintain the highways according to the laid standards. In the financial year 2017-18, the NHAI has raised huge funds under this plan. The contractors have bid for higher rates which showered funds for NHAI to finance its development projects. Running high on this success, the Road ministry would continue to leverage this model of financing in the current fiscal year 2018-19.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is all set to pull funds from diverse pockets and through different means. For the financial year 2018-19, the government has set a target to raise 1 Lakh Crore from NHAI bonds, Infrastructure Investment funds and Institutional investors like Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). Around 30% of the target amount would be raised through Asset Recycling Plan and the rest from the aforementioned sources. Last year, the NHAI has raised 47,000 Crores from bonds and the target amount is nearly twice this year. The government of India in its budget 2018-19, announced to roll out NHAI Infrastructure Investment funds through which the NHAI could increase its financial sources. The government of India is proving that ambitious targets can be met only through innovative and experimental moves.

[sukhadyatra-blog]

NHAI to Award More Road Projects to Propel the BharatMala Programme Forward

According to recent reports, the National Highways Authority of India is set to award 3000 km of road projects in regards to push forward the BharatMala project. As per the roads and highways projects that were awarded in the last fiscal year, this autonomous organisation is set to augment the process and award more road projects this financial year. Unlike the 7200 km of road projects that NHAI awarded last year, they are considering on giving out 3000 km of such projects this year round and that too at the initial two months of the financial year.

In an issued statement, NHAI officials stated that they have given out 150 road projects stretching over 7200 km in the financial year of 2018 with an estimated expenditure of Rs. 122,000 crore. Amalgamating the projects in the last five years, NHAI has awarded projects stretching over distances of 2,860 km and the rest 4,335 km being awarded in the last financial year itself. They claimed that the road projects awarded in the FY18 were an all-time record-breaking achievement by the National Highways Authority of India ever since their foundation in 1995.

Introducing the Bharatmala Project, concerning the roads and highways operation in India, NHAI has dictated their ways to better the infrastructure and induce an overall development of the sector. Several projects have been deduced under the former project and the officials are working to enhance the commute experience of every highway and road user. Owing to the initiation of this project, NHAI has decided to grant even more such road projects under this programme. There have been no formal announcements regarding the implementation and initiation of them, but everything is currently in the talks.

The distinguished NHAI officials have claimed that the increase in awarding of these road projects in FY18 is due to the Bharatmala programme. They intend to give away projects stretching over 3000 km in a coming couple of months of the fiscal year itself. Under this new sanctioned Bharatmala programme, a total of 232 project tenders involving 11,200 km of roads and highways, have been approved and awarded. The estimated cost of these projects cumulatively accounted over Rs. 1,96,000 crore. Much like any other hindrance and obstruction, they have been a few minor ones in this as well primarily with the land acquisition.

In a statement issued by the National Highways Authority of India, a spokesperson stated that the tendering and awarding of the road projects have ensured only after the inception of the Bharatmala Programme. They further mentioned that the implementation of the new kind of sanctioning process was put into effect in November 2017. Under this protocol, NHAI had the sole power when it comes to sanctioning any kind of engineering, procurement and construction projects. In order to streamline and make the work process even more transparent, they set up a new Projects Appraisal Committee and Cost Committee to look after the other aspects of the approved and awarded projects.