babu

NEW DELHI: The dream of zipping through expressways without the endless lines at border toll booths may turn into reality soon with the Union road transport and highways ministry planning to facilitate barrier-free movement of passenger and commercial vehicles through a system of integrated checkposts.

Road transport minister T R Baalu said, "I have asked state governments to facilitate barrier-free movement of vehicles through a system of integrated checkposts. The average distance covered in a day by commercial vehicles is 250-400 km, which is not encouraging even by the standards of developing countries, leave aside developed countries."

The minister was speaking at a seminar on 'Building Infrastructure: Challenges and Opportunities' on Saturday.

The ministry also proposes to introduce computer chips on vehicles, which can be read by new generation electronic systems, thereby reducing the lengthy wait by vehicles at border checkposts.

The serpentine lines not only reduce the distance covered by commercial vehicles but also lead to traffic congestion on national and state highways delaying passenger vehicles.

The ministry is also considering a proposal to rationalise passenger tax for tourist coaches. When implemented, the move is likely to give a major boost to the tourism industry.

"We will soon come forward with a proposal for this," Baalu said. Tourist coaches can pay passenger tax at a centralised system and travel across states seamlessly if this proposal comes through.

Emphasising that India's road network needed fast improvement, Baalu said work would be carried out in a phased manner. National highways account for 1.98% of the country's road length but cater to 40% of the road traffic. While road traffic has increased by 12% annually, road length has increased only by 7%-10%.

"The road network needs to be expanded and strengthened at a very fast pace not only to cater to the increased volume of traffic but also to provide improved accessibility to the hinterland," the minister pointed out.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/a...ow/2116684.cms

bng03

It seems a big joke that, the MInister will give sermons or advice or certain promises in some seminar or meeting and will forget afterwards. Road maintenance is the state subject so the central minister is not bothered about it and the state minister is busy in saving his chair. These ministers should be taken to a road route any where in the country. The situation is same whether it is Jabalpur in MP or Musaffar Nagar, Meerut in UP. The biggest joke of last month is that the UP CM paid a visit to a colony of Ramprastha in Vaishali. The colony belongs or pocketed by some Yadavvanshis. So the whole battalian of UP Administration including the chief secretary who was found eulogizing the CM other day were camping in the area for one month just to make the CMs visit a success. Crores of rupees were burnt for the purpose. The roads were made lookgood for some time, all the patches were filled in. The irony is that the parallel road - just 1/2 Km away, the main road of Vaishali was neglected because the CM was not taken on that road. It is the main road of main market and is of full of potholes and encroachments. The encroachment has doubled since the day one police post was established there. The vendors are sore because their hapta vasooli has increased.Who is bothered about the common man. None.

motorbike

Agree with your comments...It's really being pathetic: Pathetic what: To see Indian Roads. Precisely Roads in small cities, Towns and Villages are in very bad condition. As for as i am concern Road maintenance should be in regular period. Whom so ever working for this.