Measures taken by NHAI to Manage Emergencies - Highway Traffic and Safety

1. Measures taken by NHAI to Manage Emergencies Though the National Highways in India constitute about 1.7% of roadways, the volume of traffic they carry is around 40%. That’s the reason they are referred as the arterial networks of the country. They facilitate traders and commuters with easy and smooth navigation. The onus of providing a seamless travel experience to the Highways’ users lies in the hands of Highways Operation Division of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Under the Aegis of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the NHAI is living up to its responsibilities by reinventing itself. The NHAI, which is entrusted with responsibilities like Construction and maintenance of National Highways, has been paving ways for the technology to absorb inefficiencies and solve redundant problems. The highways have been infamous for numerous reasons like accidents, theft, etc. Though the network of Highways is less in length, it is still witnessing 34% of total road accidents in a year. In order to mitigate accidents and curb the fatality rate, NHAI has started implementing a slew of measures that are reaping positive results. Following are the measures that were taken by the Highways Operation Division of NHAI, which is headed by Mr Akhilesh Srivastava, CGM (IT & Operations), NHAI. Advance Emergency Traffic Incident Management System: The NHAI is in the process of establishing this system at a pan Indian scale. Through this world-class incident management system, highways will be facilitated with the ambulances, cranes, patrolling vehicles through which the worse situations can be taken into control. A 24X7 National Highways Helpline – 1033 has recently been launched by the NHAI, where Highway commuters can report their issues and get their problems solved. Wayside Amenities: Not only physical but also the mental state of a commuter has its say in making travel seamless. Many a time, lack of proper sleep and rest leads to accidents. That’s one of the reasons, why NHAI has come up with Wayside Amenities mega-plan and introduced Highway Nests (MINI), Highway Villages, Highway Nests under it. These amenities will provide all the basic facilities for the highway commuters and eliminate the fatigue-related accidents. The NHAI is yet to unfold many other ideas and the journey on National Highways is definitely going to be much more seamless in the coming days.