[Yojana October 2023 Summary] Road Infrastructure In India- Explained Pointwise

Context

Road infrastructure in India has been an important driver of economic development and social inclusion. In the recent three decades, the emphasis of various governments has been on improving the road infrastructure in India. Increase of total road-length and improvement of road-quality are the two pillars of improved road infrastructure. Adoption of various organisational and technological innovations have helped India in improving the road infrastructure. India now has the second-longest road length in the world after USA.

What is the progress of India in improvement of road Infrastructure over decades?

India has tremendously improved its road infrastructure over decades. Since, India now has the second largest road length in the world, it is pertinent to look at the progress over decades.

Also, the table mentioned below shows the present six fold classification of Indian roads and their compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) in percentage terms since 1991.

What are the various steps undertaken for improvement of Road Infrastructure in India?

Improvement of Road Infrastructure has been achieved by the following organisational and technological innovations, which have been taken over decades-

Organisational Innovations

Delinking Road Development and Direct Employment- Until 1991 (liberalisation), the road development was connected with direct labour employment. The Nagpur Plan (1943-1963), Bombay Plan (1961-1981) and the Lucknow Plan (1981-2001), focused on using the road development projects as a means of direct employment generation. However post liberalisation, there has been increase in the use of capital-intensive high-tech road making equipments. This led to increase in both quantity and quality of roads in India.

Creation of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)- In February 1995, NHAI became operational to directly drive the development of National Highways (NH). Prior to the formation of NHAI, the NH development and maintenance was the responsibility of the states with funding from the centre. There was lowing carrying capacity of NHs (2% of NHs carried 40% of the traffic). However after NHAI formation, NH length have registered the largest compounded annual growth Rate (CAGR) since 1991.

Creation of State-level Road Development Corporations- With the creation of NHAI, many states also brought changes in their organisational structure for road development. They de linked the state expressway projects from their Public Works Department (PWD). Maharashtra was the first state to set up the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Limited (MSRDCL). Uttar Pradesh (UP) is developing its expressways through these corporations.

National Highways Development Project (NHDP)- NHDP was started in 1998. NHDP  consequently grew to seven phases involving a total length of 49,260 km. In 2018, most of the NHDP has been completed and the remaining works were subsumed under the larger Bharatmala Pariyojana. 

New Focussed organisations apart from NHAI- Apart from NHAI, new organisations have been created for better focus on road development. National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) was incorporated in 2014, to carry out road development projects in the border areas. National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML) was set up in 2020 for the first/last mile port connectivity projects.

Focus on Rural Roads through Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)- PMGSY has been one of the most successful projects in India. The success of PMGSY has also encouraged projects like the Mukhya Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (MMGSY) in many states. The reasons for success of PMGSY are– selection of Villages on objective criteria, independent agencies like World Bank doing the over sight and housing the project under Ministry of Rural Development (demand side) rather than MoRTH (supply side). Because of interventions like PMGSY, rural roads today constitute over 70% of the road infrastructure of the country.

Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) and Viability Gap Funding (VGF)- PPP investments were increased through the introduction of financial/project models like the Viability Gap Funding (VGF). These models were introduced to reduce the financial risks of private players in road development. 

Evolution of the Model Concession Agreement (MCA)- The first MCA for the road sector was brought in 2000. It has evolved over time for better allocation of risk between the PPP player and the development authorities.

New Contracting models and Asset Monetisation- Apart from the Classical tendering through the Engineering,Procurement and Construction (EPC) or the Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT), several new contracting models have emerged. Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) and Toll, Operate and Transfer (TOT) are being used extensively for road development. The Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InVITs) have been operationalised to enable asset monetisation of built roads.

Technological Innovations

Introduction of new Road Making Technologies- With the roll out of the NHDP, the import of the road-making equipment was brought under the open general licence to ease their procurement process. Further, steps have been taken for enhanced Technology Transfer in the road making equipments. New and environmentally sustainable materials like fly ash, steel slag etc. are being used in road development.

Introduction of Electronic Toll Collection (ETC)- Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) has been  introduced to reduce the toll collection time and traffic congestions at the toll Plazas. 

Read More- Forum IAS

What are the advantages of developed road infrastructure in India?

Listed below are the major advantages of developed road infrastructure-

Transportation of people and goods- Roads are the primary mode of transportation in India. 90% of the passenger traffic and 60% of the freight traffic are carried by roads.

Promotes the development of trade and commerce- Properly developed roads promote the development of trade and commerce by facilitating the movement of goods and services across the country.

Increase in employment opportunities- The construction and maintenance of roads provide employment to millions of people in India. According to NHAI report, the construction of highways and expressways has created around 55,000 direct jobs and 1,00,000 indirect jobs per 1,000 kms of road construction.

Facilitation of socio-economic development- The development of roads in rural and remote areas is crucial for promoting overall socio-economic development. According to the Ministry of Rural Development, around 91% of rural areas in India are connected by roads which enables them to access essential services like healthcare, education and markets.

What are the Challenges with the Road Infrastructure in India?

Lack of Focus on Safety Standards- Unsafe road designs and construction practices are the biggest causes of India’s unsafe roads. Lack of buffer lanes, low number of crash barriers, lack of scientific signage are some of the examples of these unsafe practices. India’s unsafe roads kill the maximum number of people in any country. 

Challenges with Land Acquisition for road projects- In a study conducted by NHAI on 106 projects, worth over ₹1.5 billion, facing implementation delays, issues pertaining to land acquisition were identified as one of the important causes for the delay in almost 50 percent of the projects. Also, the government’s burden to acquire land has risen after the passage of  the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, that mandates it to pay four times the market value of acquired land in rural areas and two times in urban areas.

Issues with India’s Urban Roads- India’s urban roads have not been getting enough attention as the rural roads have got in recent times. There are coordination issues with urban Public Transport, lack of parking spaces and heavy traffic congestions. India’s urban roads lead to wastage of time, poor last mile connectivity and poor urban goods movement.

Disputes with the PPP Players- Contractual disputes between the development authority and the PPP Player also considerably slows down the road development projects. Untimely release of funds financially hurt the PPP players to execute the road development projects. 

Lack of use of Origin to Destination (OD) Data- There is lack of use of Origin to Destination (OD) traffic flow data while planning the road development projects. The OD data must be integrated with the Electronic Toll Collection (ETC).

What should be the way forward ?

Although India has made substantial progress in the road infrastructure sector, we are still way behind in achieving a fully developed road infrastructure in India. The following measures need to be undertaken to ensure further development of road infrastructure in India.

Improvement of land Acquisition process- Streamlining the land acquisition process, ensuring transparency and providing adequate compensation to landowners will help in expediting the road development projects and reducing their costs.

Ensuring safe road designs- There is need to ensure that the road designs are compatible with the Indian Roads Congress Standards. Also the material testing facilities must be enhanced at the construction site. Proper construction of the roads must be improved.

Use of Technology- Use of technologies like sensors to monitor traffic flows, intelligent transport systems and smart road infrastructure will improve the road safety and efficiency.

Focus on Road Maintenance- The government needs to prioritise regular maintenance of roads like resurfacing, pothole filling and drainage system maintenance.

Increase investment- The government must explore options like road bonds, green bonds for highway development. The sector should be made financially lucrative to draw maximum FDI inflows.

Incorporation of lane capacity measurement while measuring road capacity- As more and more multiple-lane roads get constructed, it is important to focus on the measurement of lane Kilometers rather than road kilometres. This will provide a true picture of India’s road capacity.