India will have 50,000 km highways network in 2 years: Government

NEW DELHI: The highways network in the country will be of 50,000 kilometres over the next two years, the government said today.

The state-owned National Highway Authority of India ( NHAI) has constructed nearly 30,000 km world-class national highways, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said in a statement.

"NHAI, under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, has another 20,000 km scheduled for completion in the next couple of years. The sustained growth will ensure that Indian national highways network will measure approximately 50,000 km of highways in the next two years," it said.

The focus of the government is on building highway operations for rendering world-class services to the highway users, it said adding NHAI has created a new Highway Operations Division.

This division will focus on all non-commercial highway operational activities for efficient network utilisation and providing hassle-free services, it said.

The Highway Operations Division at NHAI will be headed by Member (Administration) and assisted by a team of experienced officers.

The division will be in charge of the electronic tolling, wayside amenities, road safety and security, incident management-helpline, tracking of ambulance, cranes on highways, highway traffic management system, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, road lighting, wi-fi and other modern amenities on national highways, it added.