11.3.16

Somewhere along the National Highways....


National highways across the country will soon offer wayside amenities such as shopping malls, food courts, dispensaries as well as car servicing centres after every 50 kilometres.
The government has issued a policy for such facilities to be built under public-private partnership (PPP) and engineering, construction and procurement (EPC) models.The policy offers incentives for petrol pump owners if they provide such facilities on their land.
“Additional incentives would be provided to petrol pump owners if they set up shower area and multi utility shops on their land,“ said a senior official at the road transport and highways ministry.
“We will provide the layout and standard designs covering all minimum facilities to the private parties willing to set up such facilities,“ he added.
The ministry will also write to companies to provide basic amenities at the highways under the corporate social responsibility (CSR).
“If any private person wants to lease out his land to National Highways Authority of India for such facilities, he would get the share of revenue generated,“ the official added.
The NHAI will acquire land for such facilities where there are no plots available or where the private sector is not too keen to participate.
The government has proposed to set up over 15,000 such facilities along the existing highways. NHAI will be nodal agencies for giving all clearances and permits.
The contracts being awarded for new highway projects will make it mandatory for developers to provide for such facilities for users on the lines of international norms.
The government will soon launch a highway advisory service, which will be a radio channel giving real time updates on traffic movement on the highways.

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