27-Jun-2023: Shri Nitin Gadkari says total length of National Highways in the country increased by about 59% in the last nine years
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari said total length of the National Highways in the country increased by about 59% in the last nine years. As a result of this expansion, India now has the second largest road network, after the US.
Addressing a Press Conference in New Delhi today Shri Gadkari said: “Total length of National Highways was 91,287 km in 2013-14, which increased to 1,45,240 km in 2022-23, which is a rise of more than 59% during this period.”
He also said that, in the last nine years, the increase in 4 lane NH rose about two times. In 2013-14, this length of 4 lane NH was 18,371 km which has increased to 44,654 km in the last nine years.
Shri Gadkari said with the introduction of FASTag, there is significant jump in the toll collection. The minister further informed that the revenues from tolls rose to Rs 41,342 crore in 2022-23 from Rs 4,770 crore in 2013-14. The Government aims to increase the toll revenue to Rs 1,30,000 crore by 2030, Shri Gadkari added.
Shri Gadkari said the waiting time at toll plazas has also reduced as a result of this. “In 2014, the waiting time at the toll plazas was 734 seconds, whereas in the 2023 this has reduced to 47 seconds. We are hopeful that we will bring it down to 30 second soon,” he said.
The Minister spoke about transformative impact of FASTag on travel experiences in India, saying it has revolutionised the concept of toll payments, eliminating the need for cash transactions. This breakthrough has saved approximately Rs 70,000 crore in wasted fuel expenses caused by waiting at the toll plazas, according to a research.
Shri Gadkari said special emphasis is being laid on the expansion in road highway network in the North East region, saying projects worth more than Rs 2 lakh crore are being carried out in the region. He also said 670 road side facilities are being developed with a view to provide a pleasant experience along the NHs.
The Minister said under the NHAI's INVIT (Infrastructure Investment Trust) model, a bond issue was launched and garnered tremendous response. Within the first day of its availability on the Mumbai Stock Exchange, the bond witnessed seven times oversubscription. Shri Nitin Gadkari urged investors to consider investing in NHAI INVIT, which offers an attractive interest rate of 8.05 per cent, surpassing traditional bank rates.
Additionally, he said, the NHAI achieved seven world records, showcasing their commitment to technological advancements and their ambition to position India as the second-largest road network in the world, after the USA.
On the issue of green initiatives, Shri Gadkari said NHAI transplanted more than 68,000 while it planted 3.86 crore trees during in the last nine years. Talking about water rejuvenation initiatives, he said the NHAI has developed more than 15,00 Amrit Sarovars along the National Highways across the country.
The Minister pointed out that the Ministry has utilised 30 lakh tons of garbage in road construction for the Delhi Ring Road project, demonstrating a proactive approach towards waste management and sustainable infrastructure development. Furthermore, he highlighted the introduction of bamboo crash barriers, which provide enhanced strength and durability while generating employment opportunities and promoting environmental sustainability.
In line with the Government's commitment to a sustainable future, Shri Nitin Gadkari unveiled a vision for increased Electric Vehicle adoption over the next five years, promoting clean energy and reducing carbon emissions.
20-Jun-2023: NHAI Launches ‘Knowledge Sharing Platform’ for Inclusive Development of National Highways
For sharing of knowledge and innovative best practices, NHAI has launched a ‘Knowledge Sharing’ platform. Hosted on the NHAI website, this initiative will help the authority to collaborate with experts and citizens who want to share knowledge and insights related to topics such as road design, construction, road safety, environment sustainability and related fields. The platform will encourage sharing of best practices from around the world and will contribute towards holistic development of the National Highway infrastructure in the country.
The best practices can be uploaded on the NHAI web portal https://ksp.nhai.org/kb/ in the form of video clips, power point presentation and .PDF files. The uploaded information on this platform will be reviewed by NHAI officials and will be evaluated for implementation.
With the help of innovation and modern technology, NHAI is developing National Highway infrastructure at a rapid pace. Apart from innovative use of recycled materials such as fly-ash and plastic waste, NHAI is also encouraging use of Recycled Asphalt (RAP) and Recycled Aggregates (RA) in the National Highway construction to promote sustainable and eco-friendly practices.
With the development of State-of-the-art Tunnels, Modern bridges, wildlife corridors and Expressways, it is important for National Highway infrastructure development to have wider participation. The knowledge sharing platform will encourage experts and citizens to share best practices and contribute towards Nation Building.
5-Jun-2023: NHAI’s First ‘Sustainability Report’ captures initiatives taken for Environment Sustainability
Highlighting its commitment towards Environment sustainability, NHAI’s first ‘Sustainability Report for FY 2021-22’ covers NHAI’s governance structure, stakeholders, environment and social responsibility initiatives. The report was recently released by Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways.
The Sustainability Report underlines the effectiveness of various efforts made by NHAI for environment and energy conservation. From FY 2019-20 till 2021-22 direct emission reduced by 18.44% and 9.49% due to less fuel consumption. NHAI continues to work towards reducing indirect emissions as well, by transiting towards clean and green energy sources.
Green House Gas (GHG) Emissions from energy consumption, operations, transport and travel measured in Metric Tonnes CO2 equivalent /km constructed saw a decline of 9.7% in FY 2020-21 and 2% in FY 2021-22.
Similarly in operations, energy intensity in Giga Joules/km reduced by 37% in FY 2020-21 and 27% in FY 2021-22, while the kilometers constructed through the reporting period has risen steadily. With over 97 percent penetration, Electronic Toll Collection through FASTag has contributed to reduce the carbon footprint.
Apart from this, NHAI has been using recycled materials for National Highway construction. Use of fly-ash and plastic waste in construction has increased over the last three years. NHAI has been encouraging use of Recycled Asphalt (RAP) and Recycled Aggregates (RA) in the National Highway construction.
In order to ensure sustainable environmental growth, more than 100 Wildlife Crossings were created in three years across 20 States as a measure for wildlife protection and conservation to reduce man-animal conflict.
Over the years, NHAI has been undertaking plantation drives to develop eco-friendly National Highways. There has been a significant increase in number of saplings planted from 2016-17 till 2021-22. Around 2.74 crore saplings were planted till 2021-22 to offset direct emissions from the vehicles.
NHAI has partnered with different stakeholders such as State Rural Livelihood Mission (SRLM), Self Help Groups, CSR partners and NGOs to collaboratively organize plantation drives. In July 2022, NHAI organized a nationwide plantation drive and planted around 1.1 lakh plants in a single day through simultaneous plantations at 114 identified locations across the country.
In addition to sustainable development, the report also highlights NHAI’s commitment to create inclusive and responsible work practices. Over last three years, women employment and employment of marginalized communities at NHAI has increased. With performance-based management system, NHAI has successfully promoted/encouraged women gender diversity and minority employees over the past 3 years with steady increase in female hiring by 7.4 percent and total increase of 3 percent in overall work force in three financial years.
NHAI’s Sustainability Report is not a mandated requirement as per SEBI guidelines, but this has been taken as a voluntary initiative to demonstrate its sustainability credentials and is prepared as per the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) reporting guidelines. The report has been externally assured by a third party adhering to International Standards on Assurance Engagements. This Sustainability Report will open new avenues for infrastructure financing known as ‘Green Finance’ as per Ministry of Finance, Government. of India framework.
NHAI has taken significant steps towards adopting sustainable and eco-friendly practices, including the use of renewable energy sources, promoting green highways, and adopting waste management practices. Going forward, NHAI remains committed to ensure that its projects are not only economically viable but also socially responsible and environmentally sustainable.
27-Jun-2023: Shri Nitin Gadkari says total length of National Highways in the country increased by about 59% in the last nine years
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari said total length of the National Highways in the country increased by about 59% in the last nine years. As a result of this expansion, India now has the second largest road network, after the US.
Addressing a Press Conference in New Delhi today Shri Gadkari said: “Total length of National Highways was 91,287 km in 2013-14, which increased to 1,45,240 km in 2022-23, which is a rise of more than 59% during this period.”
He also said that, in the last nine years, the increase in 4 lane NH rose about two times. In 2013-14, this length of 4 lane NH was 18,371 km which has increased to 44,654 km in the last nine years.
Shri Gadkari said with the introduction of FASTag, there is significant jump in the toll collection. The minister further informed that the revenues from tolls rose to Rs 41,342 crore in 2022-23 from Rs 4,770 crore in 2013-14. The Government aims to increase the toll revenue to Rs 1,30,000 crore by 2030, Shri Gadkari added.
Shri Gadkari said the waiting time at toll plazas has also reduced as a result of this. “In 2014, the waiting time at the toll plazas was 734 seconds, whereas in the 2023 this has reduced to 47 seconds. We are hopeful that we will bring it down to 30 second soon,” he said.
The Minister spoke about transformative impact of FASTag on travel experiences in India, saying it has revolutionised the concept of toll payments, eliminating the need for cash transactions. This breakthrough has saved approximately Rs 70,000 crore in wasted fuel expenses caused by waiting at the toll plazas, according to a research.
Shri Gadkari said special emphasis is being laid on the expansion in road highway network in the North East region, saying projects worth more than Rs 2 lakh crore are being carried out in the region. He also said 670 road side facilities are being developed with a view to provide a pleasant experience along the NHs.
The Minister said under the NHAI's INVIT (Infrastructure Investment Trust) model, a bond issue was launched and garnered tremendous response. Within the first day of its availability on the Mumbai Stock Exchange, the bond witnessed seven times oversubscription. Shri Nitin Gadkari urged investors to consider investing in NHAI INVIT, which offers an attractive interest rate of 8.05 per cent, surpassing traditional bank rates.
Additionally, he said, the NHAI achieved seven world records, showcasing their commitment to technological advancements and their ambition to position India as the second-largest road network in the world, after the USA.
On the issue of green initiatives, Shri Gadkari said NHAI transplanted more than 68,000 while it planted 3.86 crore trees during in the last nine years. Talking about water rejuvenation initiatives, he said the NHAI has developed more than 15,00 Amrit Sarovars along the National Highways across the country.
The Minister pointed out that the Ministry has utilised 30 lakh tons of garbage in road construction for the Delhi Ring Road project, demonstrating a proactive approach towards waste management and sustainable infrastructure development. Furthermore, he highlighted the introduction of bamboo crash barriers, which provide enhanced strength and durability while generating employment opportunities and promoting environmental sustainability.
In line with the Government's commitment to a sustainable future, Shri Nitin Gadkari unveiled a vision for increased Electric Vehicle adoption over the next five years, promoting clean energy and reducing carbon emissions.
20-Jun-2023: NHAI Launches ‘Knowledge Sharing Platform’ for Inclusive Development of National Highways
For sharing of knowledge and innovative best practices, NHAI has launched a ‘Knowledge Sharing’ platform. Hosted on the NHAI website, this initiative will help the authority to collaborate with experts and citizens who want to share knowledge and insights related to topics such as road design, construction, road safety, environment sustainability and related fields. The platform will encourage sharing of best practices from around the world and will contribute towards holistic development of the National Highway infrastructure in the country.
The best practices can be uploaded on the NHAI web portal https://ksp.nhai.org/kb/ in the form of video clips, power point presentation and .PDF files. The uploaded information on this platform will be reviewed by NHAI officials and will be evaluated for implementation.
With the help of innovation and modern technology, NHAI is developing National Highway infrastructure at a rapid pace. Apart from innovative use of recycled materials such as fly-ash and plastic waste, NHAI is also encouraging use of Recycled Asphalt (RAP) and Recycled Aggregates (RA) in the National Highway construction to promote sustainable and eco-friendly practices.
With the development of State-of-the-art Tunnels, Modern bridges, wildlife corridors and Expressways, it is important for National Highway infrastructure development to have wider participation. The knowledge sharing platform will encourage experts and citizens to share best practices and contribute towards Nation Building.
5-Jun-2023: NHAI’s First ‘Sustainability Report’ captures initiatives taken for Environment Sustainability
Highlighting its commitment towards Environment sustainability, NHAI’s first ‘Sustainability Report for FY 2021-22’ covers NHAI’s governance structure, stakeholders, environment and social responsibility initiatives. The report was recently released by Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways.
The Sustainability Report underlines the effectiveness of various efforts made by NHAI for environment and energy conservation. From FY 2019-20 till 2021-22 direct emission reduced by 18.44% and 9.49% due to less fuel consumption. NHAI continues to work towards reducing indirect emissions as well, by transiting towards clean and green energy sources.
Green House Gas (GHG) Emissions from energy consumption, operations, transport and travel measured in Metric Tonnes CO2 equivalent /km constructed saw a decline of 9.7% in FY 2020-21 and 2% in FY 2021-22.
Similarly in operations, energy intensity in Giga Joules/km reduced by 37% in FY 2020-21 and 27% in FY 2021-22, while the kilometers constructed through the reporting period has risen steadily. With over 97 percent penetration, Electronic Toll Collection through FASTag has contributed to reduce the carbon footprint.
Apart from this, NHAI has been using recycled materials for National Highway construction. Use of fly-ash and plastic waste in construction has increased over the last three years. NHAI has been encouraging use of Recycled Asphalt (RAP) and Recycled Aggregates (RA) in the National Highway construction.
In order to ensure sustainable environmental growth, more than 100 Wildlife Crossings were created in three years across 20 States as a measure for wildlife protection and conservation to reduce man-animal conflict.
Over the years, NHAI has been undertaking plantation drives to develop eco-friendly National Highways. There has been a significant increase in number of saplings planted from 2016-17 till 2021-22. Around 2.74 crore saplings were planted till 2021-22 to offset direct emissions from the vehicles.
NHAI has partnered with different stakeholders such as State Rural Livelihood Mission (SRLM), Self Help Groups, CSR partners and NGOs to collaboratively organize plantation drives. In July 2022, NHAI organized a nationwide plantation drive and planted around 1.1 lakh plants in a single day through simultaneous plantations at 114 identified locations across the country.
In addition to sustainable development, the report also highlights NHAI’s commitment to create inclusive and responsible work practices. Over last three years, women employment and employment of marginalized communities at NHAI has increased. With performance-based management system, NHAI has successfully promoted/encouraged women gender diversity and minority employees over the past 3 years with steady increase in female hiring by 7.4 percent and total increase of 3 percent in overall work force in three financial years.
NHAI’s Sustainability Report is not a mandated requirement as per SEBI guidelines, but this has been taken as a voluntary initiative to demonstrate its sustainability credentials and is prepared as per the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) reporting guidelines. The report has been externally assured by a third party adhering to International Standards on Assurance Engagements. This Sustainability Report will open new avenues for infrastructure financing known as ‘Green Finance’ as per Ministry of Finance, Government. of India framework.
NHAI has taken significant steps towards adopting sustainable and eco-friendly practices, including the use of renewable energy sources, promoting green highways, and adopting waste management practices. Going forward, NHAI remains committed to ensure that its projects are not only economically viable but also socially responsible and environmentally sustainable.
25-Aug-2022: NHAI Organises Workshop on Global Navigation Satellite System Based Tolling
NHAI organised a day-long stakeholder consultation workshop on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) based tolling in India. The objective of the workshop was to seek input and suggestion from various industry experts and stakeholders on different aspects of the GNSS-based tolling system. The workshop will help strategise and design the future roadmap for free-flow tolling system in India based on GNSS technology.
Various stakeholders including relevant government departments, ISRO, NIC, and industry players such as Vehicle Manufacturers, AIS-140 On-Board Unit (OBU) manufacturers, Global GNSS service providers, Banks, Payment Aggregators/Gateway Service providers were invited for deliberations on GNSS based tolling system. Sessions and presentations were held with consultants & industry experts on global best practices for GNSS based tolling, discussions were held on the findings of the pilot carried out by NHAI on Delhi – Mumbai corridor and various aspects of GNSS architecture, payment settlement process, proposed enforcement measures and discussion on legal framework requirements were also discussed.
Speaking on the occasion Shri Giridhar Aramane, Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways said that “The stakeholder consultation is important to discuss various issues involved in GNSS based tolling deployment and seeking suggestions. We have to ensure that the process of toll collection is seamless. To achieve this objective, we need to have a technology framework that will enable us to operate in an efficient way, is economical and acceptable to various stakeholders.”
In her address NHAI Chairperson Smt. Alka Upadhyaya said, “We are pleased to organize this session and deliberate with stakeholders on what could be the likely way forward on deployment of GNSS based tolling in India. This session will help us to get inputs from the experts who have come from other parts of the world and will help us to address various challenges that we may face in planning and rollout of GNSS based tolling across the country.”
In the proposed GNSS technology-based tolling system, the NH stretch will be geo-fenced and shall consist of virtual tolling points. Whenever a vehicle fitted with GNSS OBU shall pass through this virtual tolling points, information on distance travelled will be calculated based on satellite signals from multi-constellation such as NavIC, GPS etc. and applicable fee shall be computed by the central GNSS software system and deducted from the users’ bank account linked to the OBU.
15-Jul-2022: Celebrating ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ NHAI to Organize a Nation-wide Plantation Drive
Under the aegis of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, NHAI plans to organize a nation-wide plantation drive on 17th July 2022. The objective is to attempt plantation of about one lakh saplings across the country on a single day. NHAI Regional Offices have identified 100 sites for the plantations that are located along the National Highways, at NHAI land parcels and Toll Plazas. NHAI’s aim is to achieve 75 lakh plantations till 15th August 2022 to mark the Amrit Mahotsav, celebrating 75 years of India’s Independence.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari, senior officials from the ministry and NHAI will participate in the plantation drive. Spreading the message of environment sustainability, the drive will see participation from public representatives, local people of civil society, NGOs and college students. The women Self Help Groups (SHGs) in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Andhra Pradesh will also be involved for plantation and maintenance of the saplings.
NHAI has been organizing plantation drives from time to time to develop eco-friendly National Highways. The vision is to saturate plantations along the National Highways collectively by involving concessionaires, State Government agencies, private plantation agencies Women SHGs through State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLMs) and Forest & Horticulture experts.
18-Dec-2021: National Cadet Corps and National Highways Authority of India signs MoU to reuse plastic waste
The National Cadet Corps (NCC) and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to reuse plastic wastes collected by NCC Cadets during Puneet Sagar Abhiyan and other Swachhta activities for construction of roads by NHAI throughout the country. To promote and create favourable conditions for environmental safety, NCC has initiated a nationwide campaign Puneet Sagar Abhiyan to clean seashores/beaches off the plastic & other wastes along the seashores and increase awareness about importance of keeping the seashores free from plastic wastes.
The aim of the Campaign is to propagate the message of ‘Importance of clean seashores/beaches’ amongst the local population and future generations. A total of 3,40,000 cadets from 127 Coastal Area NCC Units are participating in the month-long activity. So far, the NCC cadets at different locations have collected plastic wastes amounting to almost six tons from these areas.
The plastic wastes collected is planned to be handed over to NHAI which they can use in road construction. The MoU between NCC and NHAI has been signed and exchanged on 17 December 2021 by Director General NCC Lt Gen Gurbirpal Singh and Chief General Manager, NHAI Mr. Sushil Kumar Mishra.
The National Cadet Corps has also approached IITs and NIITs for their cooperation in recycling and gainful utilisation of the plastic wastes collected. IIT Kharagpur has already agreed to extend their technical expertise in this. The National Cadet Corps is also approaching NGOs who are involved in recycling of plastic wastes, one of whom, Odisha Yuva Chetana Sangathan has already agreed to provide assistance.
In addition to physically cleaning the beaches the cadets have also taken up mass awareness campaign to educate the people regarding the evils and harms of plastic use and the damage plastic is doing to our natural resources. The cadets are also interacting with public, tourists, local shopkeepers/vendors and fisherman along the coastal areas, distributing pamphlets, administering oaths to the target population, performing theme based Nukkad Nataks & rallies/foot patrols to drive home the message of importance of clean sea beaches. Till date, almost 1.5 lakh cadets at 64 different locations have participated in the Puneet Sagar Abhiyan and have impacted a population of approximately 17 Lakh.
1-Dec-2021: Plantation along Highways
Development of National Highways involves cutting of trees in the Right of Way acquired by MoRTH. It is, however, ensured that the bare minimum tree felling is carried out for widening of existing National Highways.
Tree felling is carried out either by Forest Department, Forest Corporation or by the Contractor after obtaining tree felling permission from the appropriate authorities under Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and local laws from forest and the non-forest area. Data on trees cut is maintained at project level.
To compensate the ecological loss, median and road side plantation is being carried out either by the contractor as a scope of agreement or through Forest Department as deposit work. In addition, plantation job is also being carried out by privates Agencies /NGO through competitive bidding, apart from the compensatory afforestation carried out by the Forest Department for statutory compliance under FCA 1980 and local Law.
Total number of plants planted by NHAI along the National Highways from 2017-2018 to 2021-22 (till October, 2021) is 223.94 lakhs.
55.10 lakh plants have been planted in 94 projects, completed by March 2021.
16-Jun-2021: National Highways Authority of India Makes Drone Survey Mandatory for All National Highways Projects
In order to enhance transparency, uniformity and leverage latest technology, the National Highways Authority of India, under Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has made mandatory use of drones for monthly video recording of National Highway projects during all stages of development, construction, operation and maintenance.
Contractors and Concessionaires shall carry out the drone video recording in presence of Team Leader of the Supervision Consultant and upload comparative project videos of the current and last month on NHAI’s portal ‘Data Lake’, capturing various project related developments during the month. Supervision Consultants shall analyse these videos and will provide their comments on the digital monthly progress reports covering various aspects of the project development. These videos will also be used by NHAI officials during the physical inspection of the projects to check the discrepancies and rectifications made basis the earlier observations.
Additionally, Project Directors of NHAI shall undertake monthly drone survey from the date of signing of contract agreement till start of construction of the project at site and also on completion of the project. NHAI will also undertake monthly drone survey in all developed projects where NHAI is responsible for operation and maintenance.
Since these videos will be permanently stored on the ‘Data Lake’, they can also be used as evidence during the dispute resolution process before Arbitral Tribunals and Courts.
Apart from this, mandatory deployment of Network Survey Vehicle (NSV) to carry out road condition survey on the National Highways to enhance quality will enhance the overall quality of the highways as NSV uses latest survey techniques such as high-resolution digital camera for 360 degree imagery, Laser Road Profilometer and other latest technology for measurement of distress in road surface.
26-May-2021: National Highways Authority of India takes steps to ensure waiting time should not be more than 10 seconds per vehicle at toll plazas
In order to ensure smooth and quick passage of vehicles at the toll plazas, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has issued guidelines to ensure service time of not more than 10 seconds per vehicle even during peak hours at the toll plazas on the National Highways.
The new guidelines will also ensure seamless flow of traffic at the toll plazas by not allowing vehicles to queue up more than 100 metres. Although at most of the toll plazas, there is no waiting time after mandatory 100% FASTag, even then if there is queue of waiting vehicles of more than 100 metres due to some reason, the vehicles will be allowed to pass without paying toll till the queue comes within 100 metres from the toll booth. For this purpose, a yellow line at a distance of 100 metres from toll booth will be marked in each toll lane. This is to inculcate further sense of accountability in toll plaza operators.
Since NHAI has successfully transitioned to 100% cashless tolling from middle of February 2021, the overall FASTag penetration at NHAI Toll Plazas has reached 96% and stands at 99% at many toll plazas. Keeping in view the growing Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) penetration in the country, it has been emphasized to have a new design and construct the upcoming toll plazas as per traffic projections for next 10 years to have an efficient toll collection system.
As social distancing has become the new normal, more and more commuters are opting to use FASTag as it removes the chances of any direct contact between the drivers and toll operators. The constant growth and adoption of FASTag by the highway users is encouraging and has helped bringing more efficiency in toll operations.
21-Aug-2020: NHAI launches ‘Harit Path’ a mobile app to monitor plantation along national highways
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, has developed a mobile App called ‘Harit Path' to monitor location, growth, species details, maintenance activities, targets and achievements of each of its field units for each and every plant under all plantation projects. The app was inaugurated by the Union Minister for RTH Shri Nitin Gadkari today.
According to an NHAI release, to commemorate 25 years of its service to the nation, it has also recently undertaken ‘Harit Bharat Sankalp’, a nation-wide plantation drive which is in line with its commitment to promote environment protection and sustainability. Under this initiative, NHAI planted over 25 lakh plants in 25 days along the stretches of the National Highways between 21st July to 15th August 2020. The drive takes the total cumulative number of plantations done during the current year to 35.22 lakh.
The nation-wide plantation drive has been actively taken up by NHAI’s regional offices to achieve the collective target of making greener national highways. Maximum number of over 5.0 lakh plants have been planted in Uttar Pradesh, followed by over 3.0 lakh in Rajasthan and 2.67 Lakh in Madhya Pradesh along the national highways. In order to ensure 100% survival of the plants, avenue plantation of minimum height of 1.5-meter have been emphasized along the national highway am
The Release says that in order to track the growth and health of the plants, photographs along with data of the plants captured using Harit Path shall be uploaded every 3 months on NHAI’s AI powered Big Data Analytics platform – Data Lake. Highway contractors shall be accountable for proper upkeep and maintenance of the plantation and liable to replace the missing/dead plants. Performance and growth of the plants shall be linked to the payment to the contractors for this work.
After launch of the app, NHAI has immediately started work to create user ids of over 150 ROs/ PDs/ Horticulture experts. Apart from this, around 7800 plants have also been geo-tagged.
NHAI has been undertaking plantation drives from time to time to develop eco-friendly National Highways and has constantly addressed ecological concerns by adopting environment-friendly methods. In the year 2020, NHAI plans to undertake a sustained plantation drive. The vision is to plant 72 Lakh plants along NH stretches collectively with concessionaire, State Government agencies and private plantation agencies. In addition, NHAI is engaging experts from the plantation, forestry, agriculture, horticulture with vast field experience. Two professionals with suitable background and experience are being engaged for each of its regional offices. For proper supervision of plantation in each project, horticulture experts are also being engaged. Apart from plantation, NHAI is also emphasizing on transplantation of trees which are required to be axed for development of highway projects.
NHAI has identified the NH stretches and is creating a data base of all the plantations already done and to be done on these stretches. The launch of ‘Harit Path’, mobile app will further facilitate creation of Green Highways across the country.
6-Jul-2020: NHAI to Rank Roads for Quality Service
In its effort to improve the quality of roads, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has decided to undertake performance assessment and ranking of the highways in the country. The assessment audit and ranking of the NHs is aimed to take corrective recourse, wherever needed, to improve the quality and provide higher level of service to highway commuters.
The assessment parameters are based on different international practices and studies for benchmarking highway performances in Indian context. The criteria for the assessment have been broadly categorised in three main heads: Highway Efficiency (45%), Highway Safety (35%) and User Services (20%). On the basis of outcome of the assessment, the authority will undertake a comprehensive analysis and decide on the level of intervention required to enhance the overall service quality.
Additionally, important parameters like operating speed, access control, time taken at toll plaza, road signages, road markings, accident rate, incident response time, crash barriers, illumination, availability of Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS), functionality of structures, provision for grade separated intersections, cleanliness, plantation, wayside amenities and customer satisfaction will also be considered while conducting the assessment.
The score obtained by each Corridor in each of the parameter will provide a feedback and corrective recourse for higher standards of operation, better safety and user experience to improve existing highways. This will also help in identifying and filling gaps of design, standards, practices, guidelines and contract agreements for other NHAI projects.
The ranking of the corridors will be dynamic and the concessionaire/ contractor/ operator will get the opportunity to improve upon their ranking by improving the services on that corridor. Apart from overall ranking of all the corridors, separate ranking for BOT, HAM and EPC projects will also be done. This process of ranking will bring out operational efficiency and ensure high quality maintenance of roads.
6-Apr-2020: NHAI achieves highest ever Construction of National Highways in FY 2019-20
NHAI has accomplished construction of 3,979 km of national highways in the financial Year 2019-20. This is the highest ever highway construction achieved in a financial year by NHAI. The construction pace as noticed in last years has seen a steady growth with 3,380 Km construction in the FY 2018-19. Continuing the same trend with the development of 3,979 km of national highways during FY 2019-20, NHAI has achieved an all-time high construction since its inception in 1995.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has envisaged an ambitious highway development programme Bharatmala Pariyojana which includes development of about 65,000 km national highways. Under Phase-I of Bharatmala Pariyojana, the Ministry has approved implementation of 34,800 km of national highways in 5 years with an outlay of Rs 5,35,000 crore. NHAI has been mandated development of about 27,500 km of national highways under Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-I.
In order to accelerate the pace of construction, large no. of initiatives have been taken to revive the stalled projects and expedite completion of new projects :
- Streamlining of land acquisition and acquisition of major portion of land prior to invitation of bids.
- Award of projects after adequate project preparation in terms of land acquisition, clearances etc.
- Disposal of cases in respect of Change of Scope (CoS) and Extension of Time (EoT) in a time bound manner
- Procedure for approval of General Arrangement Drawing for ROBs simplified and made online.
- Close coordination with other Ministries and State Governments
- One time fund infusion
- Regular review at various levels and identification/ removal of bottlenecks in project execution
- Proposed exit for Equity Investors
- Securitization of road sector loans
- Disputes Resolution mechanism revamped to avoid delays in completion of projects.
8-Jul-2019: NHAI Signs MoU with NIIF for funding highway projects
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) signed an MoU with National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) in the presence of Shri Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Gen (Retd) V K Singh, MoS. NIIF is a fund promoted by Government of India to give boost to the infrastructure sector in the country. The MoU is related to co-operation in formation of SPVs to execute the fund arrangement for large size road projects particularly green field projects to be executed by NHAI in future.
NHAI is raising finances for its mega projects, and is not dependent only upon budgetary support. Several funding models were adopted in the past towards this, which have yielded good results. He hailed the MoU and expressed hope that it will provide innovative financial models including for the 24,000 km 7.5 lakh crore Bharatmala Pariyojana. The Minister exuded confidence that the road sector can contribute in a big way in achieving the Prime Minister’s dream of making India a five trillion dollar economy.
This arrangement of innovative alternate source of funding is being looked into by NHAI to attract international investors and fund houses who are willing to invest in road projects in India but not very keen to take risk related to the project execution. This arrangement is expected to bring huge amount of investment at economical rate for highway development in India and reduce the stress of borrowing on NHAI balance sheet also.
21-Dec-2017: NHAI Creates National Highways Investment Promotion Cell (NHIPC)
The National Highways Authority of India has created a National Highways Investment Promotion Cell (NHIPC) for attracting domestic and foreign investment for highways projects. The cell will focus on engaging with global institution investors, construction companies, developers and fund managers for building investor participation in road infrastructure projects.
The Government has set an ambitious target of construction of 35,000 km. of National Highways in the next five years involving an investment of Rs. 5,35,000/- crores under ‘Bharatmala Pariyojana’. Given the scale of investment required, both foreign and domestic investment from public and private sector is pivotal.
The primary focus of NHIPC will be to promote foreign and domestic investment in road infrastructure. The NHIPC will be working in close co-ordination with various connected Ministries and Departments of Government of India, State Governments, Apex Business Chambers like CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM, and Invest India etc. NHIPC will also work in close co-ordination with Foreign Embassies and Missions in India and Indian Embassies and Missions situated in foreign countries.
