In a significant development, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) completed the construction of 3,979 km of national highways in the financial year 2019-20. This accomplishment marks the highest ever highway construction completed in a financial year by NHAI. Such a milestone establishes NHAI’s relentless commitment to improving India’s road transportation.
Bharatmala Pariyojana: An Ambitious Project
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways proposed an ambitious highway development programme, known as Bharatmala Pariyojana. The plan aims at developing about 65,000 km of national highways stretching across the country.
Under Phase-I of Bharatmala Pariyojana, the Ministry has approved the implementation of 34,800 km of national highways within five years (from 2017 to 2022). Of this total amount, NHAI has been mandated to develop approximately 27,500 km of national highways under Bharatmala Pariyojna Phase-I.
Bharatmala Pariyojana is a comprehensive program for the highways sector, aimed at optimizing the efficiency of freight and passenger movement across the country. It seeks to bridge critical infrastructure gaps through effective interventions, including the development of Economic Corridors, Inter Corridors and Feeder Routes, National Corridor Efficiency Improvement, Border and International connectivity roads, Coastal and Port connectivity roads and Green-field expressways.
Understanding National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
Established under the NHAI Act 1988, the National Highways Authority of India is responsible for the National Highways Development Project, along with other minor projects for development, maintenance and management. The main objective of NHAI is to meet the nation’s need for the provision and maintenance of National Highways network to global standards.
The vision of NHAI is to meet user’s expectations in the most time-bound, cost-effective manner, and to promote the economic well-being and quality of life of the people. The NHAI has been involved in the National Highways Development Project (NHDP), a project initiated in 1998 that aims to upgrade, rehabilitate, and widen major highways in India to a higher standard.
Role of National Highways (NH)
National Highways (NH) are the arterial roads of the country, facilitating inter-state movement of passengers and goods. These crucial roads connect the National and State capitals, major ports, rail junctions and link up with border roads and foreign highways.
Despite constituting only about 1.7% of the length of all roads, these high-quality roads carry approximately 40% of the road traffic. This signifies their pivotal role in supporting the day-to-day functioning of the country and underlines the importance of regular maintenance and development to meet growing demands.
Through projects like Bharatmala Pariyojana, authorities like the NHAI are working towards making Indian roads capable of handling more traffic and ensuring better connectivity across the nation. They are steadily progressing towards creating an efficient, safe, and world-class highway network in India.