Commuters on Delhi-Jaipur highway can now plan their journey with live radio updates of traffic condition, a service which is similar to the systems in the US, Canada, Singapore and other advanced nations.
Launching Highways Advisory Service (HAS) pilot project here for National Highways 8, Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari said the model would be replicated pan-India soon.
Under the phase 1, existing AIR stations located in Delhi, Alwar and Jaipur will broadcast live traffic updates.
HAS is a free-to-air information distribution system that uses radio to make travelling experience on National Highways safer, faster and hassle-free.
Gadkari said the contract has been signed with AIR to buy time for phase 1 of the pilot project in which 22 bulletins will be issued every day.
He said the government is committed to reduce fatalities due to road accidents by 50 per cent and HAS is an aid that will help to achieve this target.
India accounts for about five lakh road accidents per annum in which 1.5 lakh people are killed while another 3 lakh are crippled for life.
"The radio broadcasts will also raise people's awareness about road safety, which is very necessary for making our highways safe for the commuters," he added.
The government had earlier said the possibility of a single frequency for the whole country is being examined subject to viability and other regulatory clearances.
Under the project, real time highway information will be gathered from concessionaires, patrol vehicles, toll plazas and traffic marshals.
The current project will be implemented in three phases.
By Phase II it is expected to augment the broadcast infrastructure to cover the entire stretch of the highway, install sensors to gather additional real time traffic information, broadcast in both Analog & Digital Radio mode and do impact measurement through an external agency.
By phase III, HAS services will be only in digital broadcasting mode and there will be monitoring and third party audits.
Stating that logistics cost amounts to 18 per cent and
transportation through waterways can cut it down to 12 per cent, Gadkari said high logistics costs impair India's competitive edge in the international market and the country must develop waterways for transportation.
Asserting that the capacity of ports in the country would be enhanced substantially, Gadkari said an amount of Rs 50,000 crore would be invested for development of Paradip port, which occupies an important position.
The target is to increase the capacity of Paradip port threefold to 325 MT by 2025 from 112 MT, he said adding Paradip would be one of the biggest ports in the country.
"Paradip Port is all set to become the growth engine of eastern India," he said.
Gadkari said Paradip port's draft is being increased to 18 metre to enable it to handle huge vessels of 200,000 dwt (dead weight tonnage) and works involving Rs 2,600 crore has already been awarded.
Further, an amount of Rs 8,200 crore would be pumped in to develop a new port at Paradip, which would act as a satellite port adding around 150 MT capacity, he said.
Referring to rail-port connectivity, Gadkari said Rs 7,000 crore is being invested for establishing rail link between the coal belt of Talcher and Paradip port.
Noting that coal production of Mahanadi Coalfields is expected to jump up to 300 MT, the minister said the entire coal from the region can be transported to states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Telangana to cater to needs of power plants by ships.
Transportation through sea route would save around Rs 10,000 crore in a year, he said adding ships after unloading coal can bring back limestone from Rajasthan, which would be used in steel plants.
On projects abroad, he said a port would also be built at Chabahar in Iran in 18 months, which would serve as a gateway for imports and exports.
To a query, Gadkari said there is no illegal toll gates on highways in Odisha and the state's Chief Secretary has also stated this.
To get quality services, one has to pay accordingly, he said adding tolls were collected in advanced countries like Canada.
