Roads ministry seeks view of state governments, UTs on urban development along NHs

The ministry of road transport and highways has sought views of the state governments and union territories on a set of key policy initiatives, including the Urban Decongestion Policy and the State Road Development Policy, being firmed up to support infrastructure development and coordinated urban planning along the National Highways across the country.

Road minister Nitin Gadkari chaired a consultative meeting with all states and UTs on Wednesday, wherein the ministry outlined the objectives and features of the proposed policies to present the central roadmap to the states for infrastructure development in the country.

“The presentations were followed by detailed consultation sessions with representatives of state and UT governments, who shared their perspectives on regional priorities, administrative challenges and successful practices,” the ministry said in a statement issued after the meeting.


“Their perspectives and suggestions were solicited to ensure that the policies, once finalized, are practical and aligned with the needs of States and cities across the country,” it said, adding various constructive suggestions have been received and would be duly considered before finalizing the policies.

Under the Urban Decongestion Policy, the plan is to reduce traffic bottlenecks on National Highways passing through cities with a population of more than one lakh by developing access-controlled ring roads, bypasses and elevated corridors.

The policy emphasizes close integration with urban master plans to ensure that new highway infrastructure complements city development and helps prevent unplanned growth along corridors.

Besides, the road ministry is also promoting the reuse of inert waste from urban landfills in the construction of highway embankments to reduce dependence on precious natural soil, lower the construction cost and address the growing challenge of solid waste management in cities.

“The State Road Development Policy is being designed to provide central support for the upgradation of high-traffic state highways to four lanes or more,” it said, adding that the policy proposes a cost-sharing framework between the Centre and states, complemented by Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements to attract private investment.

Further, the road ministry has proposed amendments to the National Highways Act, 1956, to simplify land acquisition procedures and enhance transparency.

These include streamlining compensation processes, strengthening dispute resolution mechanisms and ensuring wider public communication of notifications.

As per the statement, stricter enforcement of the Control of National Highways (Land and Traffic) Act, 2002 is being emphasized to protect the right of way.

Delegation of enforcement powers to local authorities such as district magistrates will enable quicker action against encroachments and smoother implementation of projects, it added.