Govt. to set up Roadside Amenities on National Highways: JS, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways

Wayside amenities along national highways to be set up to provide facilities such as separate parking for cars, buses and trucks, restaurant, low cost dhaba, telephone booth, fuel station and minor repair shop, clean toilets and so on, said Joint Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Mr. Amit Kumar Ghosh.

Addressing an Infrastructure Conclave – 2017 under aegis of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry here today, Mr. Ghosh said that his ministry’s priority was to provide road safety and better amenities along all national highways.

The Conclave was also addressed by other panellists such as Dr. Sudhir Krishna, Chairman, the Fifth Delhi Finance Commission and former Secretary, Urban Development, Government of India and Mr. Sanjay Jaju, Director (A&F), National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd., however, collectively felt that our focus should be to create better infrastructure without thinking of finances because for such projects money come on its own.

Mr. Jaju said that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) launched its first overseas issue of Masala Bond at the London Stock Exchange in May 2017, attracting bids worth over Rs 3,000 crore (US$ 465 million), with an aim of raising capital for funding the infrastructure projects in India.

In his welcome remarks, Chairman, Roads, Ports & Other Infrastructure Committee, PHD Chamber, Mr. Ashish Wig said that the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has invested around Rs.3.17 trillion (US$ 47.7 billion), while the Shipping Ministry has invested around Rs 80,000 crores (US$ 12.0 billion) in the past two and a half years for building world class highways and shipping infrastructure in the country.   The Government of India is expected to invest highly in the infrastructure sector, mainly highways, renewable energy and urban transport in the coming years.

Principal Director, PHD Chamber, Dr. Ranjeet Mehta observed that present scenario is changing with the renewed focus of the government to revive the infrastructure sector. Now what is required is a careful analysis of the factors that have mitigated growth in the past and thereafter, taking the appropriate corrective measures.