Highways, which span over 1 Lakh Kilometers across India, are referred as arteries of trade and traffic. Though they constitute only 2% of Roadways, they carry a massive (40%) trade. At times, they were in news for infamous reasons like accidents, which are taking precious lives of commuters. Stress-induced accidents are also on the rise.
In order to combat stress-induced accidents, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has come up with a project named Wayside Amenities Project. Through this project, the Highway operations division of NHAI, which is headed by Mr Akhilesh Srivastava, is planning to build amenities alongside National Highways and the project is on board in many locations.
For which the NHAI has come up with three kinds of amenities which feature various facilities. Following are the models that are part of Wayside amenities project.
Highway Nest (MINI)
The Highway Nest (MINI) model, which is going to come up near every Toll Plaza maintained by the NHAI, can deliver packed-food and other necessary items through its kiosks. The NHAI is planning Highway Nests (MINI) on either side of Toll Plazas to make them accessible to all people and the project is on board in many locations.
Highway Nest and Highway Village
These are models that are going to be developed by NHAI under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) method. This is the first of its kind in the history of National Highways. Highway Villages feature Village Haats, Fuel stations, Refreshment areas, hotels, and Parking areas. These facilities have the potential to absorb stress and can prevent stress-induced accidents happening.
The government had invited bids to develop the aforementioned facilities at different locations. Already, the construction process began in some of the locations. The Government of India even asked farmers to partner in this mega project as the lands abutting the National Highways are Agricultural lands (majorly). Farmers can even get franchise rights under this project, which benefits farmers in multiple ways.
Above all, the facilities coming up with the brand names Highway Nest and Highway Village provide employment opportunities to millions of people. In the coming days, the way how commuters experience their journey on Highways is definitely going to change with the induction of the Wayside amenities. And, the Government of India is considering every step which leaves great scope for the development of National Highways, which is a positive sign.
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