The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) recently made headlines after initiating a performance assessment and ranking of the country’s highways. This exercise is mainly aimed at improving the quality of roads in India.
The Parameters for Assessment
NHAI has divided the assessment criteria into three significant categories: Highway Efficiency (45%), Highway Safety (35%), and User Services (20%). Furthermore, to conduct a holistic review, other critical parameters will also be taken into consideration. These include operating speed, time spent at toll plazas, road signs, road markings, rate of accidents, level of illumination, availability of an Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS), functionality of structures, cleanliness, plantation, wayside amenities, and user satisfaction ratings.
Diverse Ranking for Different Road Projects
In addition to providing an overall ranking for all corridors, NHAI plans to separately rank various types of projects, including Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT), Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM), and Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) projects. The BOT model involves a private partner who is responsible for designing, building, operating, and transferring the facility back to the public sector. Under the HAM framework, the central government bears 40% of the project cost, while the developer takes care of the remaining cost. Conversely, in an EPC model, the government bears the entire cost of the project. This ranking system is dynamic, giving operators the chance to enhance their rankings by improving their services.
Significance of the Ranking
This scoring process will provide insightful feedback, motivating higher operational standards, better safety measures, and enhanced user experience to improve existing highways. It will also prove helpful in detecting and addressing gaps in design, standards, practices, guidelines, and contract agreements for future NHAI schemes. Rankings for BOT, HAM, and EPC projects are expected to optimize operational efficiency and ensure high-quality maintenance of roads.
The Role of NHAI
Established under the NHAI Act, 1988, the National Highways Authority of India operates under the administrative control of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. It is responsible for the National Highways Development Project, which seeks to upgrade, rehabilitate, and widen Indian highways to meet superior standards. This project was initiated in 1998 and is still ongoing. The NHAI’s mandate is to maintain India’s National Highways network to global standards in a cost-effective manner while promoting the country’s economic well-being and enhancing the quality of life for its population.
Ultimately, based on this assessment’s outcome, the authority will carry out an in-depth analysis to decide on interventions needed to boost the overall service quality on these infrastructures.
