Road development in India

Road development steps in India : 

1. Jayakar Committee (1927)

2. Central Road Fund (1929) 

3. Indian Roads Congress (IRC), 1934

4. Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), 1950

5. Motor vehicle act (1936)

6. National Highway Authority of India (NHAI),1995

7. First twenty-year road plan ( 1943-61 ) 

8. Second twenty-year road plan ( 1961-81)

9. Highway Research Board ( 1973) 

10. National Transport Policy Committee ( 1978 )

11. Third twenty-year road plan ( 1981-2001)

               After the first World War, motor vehicle use on the roads increased, and this demanded a better road network. 

What is the jay kay committee?

In 1927 a resolution was passed in both the Houses of Parliament recommending the appointment of a committee to look into the development of roads in the country.   In 1927, the Indian road development committee was appointed by the government with M.R. Jaykar as chairman.

Jaykar committee recommendation : 

1. Road development in the country should be made in a national interest since local govt. do not have the financial and technical capacity for road development.

2. An extra tax should be levied on petrol from road users to create the road development fund. 

3. To establish a semi-official, technical institution to pool technical knowledge, sharing of ideas, and act as an advisory body. 

4. To create a national-level institution to carry out research, development works, and consultation.

What is CRF ( Central road fund )? 

CRF  was formed on 1st March 1929

• The consumers of petrol were charged an extra levy of 2.64 paise per liter of petrol to build up this road development fund. 
• From this 20% of annual revenue is to be retained as a central revenue for research and experimental work expenses..etc 
• A balance of 80% is allowed by the central govt. to various states based on actual petrol consumption or revenue collected. 

 

What is IRC ( Indian Road Congress )? 

The Central semi-official body known as IRC was formed in 1934. 

• To provide a national forum for regular pooling of experience and ideas on matters related to the construction and maintenance of highways.

 • It is an active body controlling the specification, standardization, and recommendations on materials, and design of roads and bridges.

 • It publishes journals, research publications, and standard specifications guidelines.

 • To provide a platform for the expression of professional opinion on matters relating to roads and road transport.

Road development plans in India

1. First 20-year road plan (1943-63) : 

• In The conference of chief engineers held at Nagpur in 1943 development plan for India was called the Nagpur road plan.

Some of the recommendations for the Nagpur road plan :

1. The lead for the road development should be taken by the Central Government even though "roads" was a provincial subject. A long-term plan for road development should be formulated. 

2. Roads should be divided into four classes:

(a) National Highways (NH):  traversing the length and breadth of the country, linking provincial capitals, and serving strategic and administrative needs of the country. National Highways should be the charge of the Central Governments. 

(b) State Highways (SH):  would be the other main roads of the Province. 

(c) District Roads are those which take off from the main roads leading to the interior of the districts. Depending upon the importance, some of them would be classified as Major District Roads (MDR) and others as Other District Roads (ODR). 

(d) Village Roads are those which give connectivity to the villages.

 

3. All roads should be regarded as important for the nation's economy and one class should not progress at the expense of the other.

4. All NHS and MDRS should be provided with the durable hard pavement. 

5. ODRS and Village Roads should be provided with a properly engineered earth surface, but graveling, soil stabilization, and macadam surface could be considered wherever necessary. 

6. All NHS, SHs, and MDRS should be adequately bridged.

7. The following formulae have been suggested for determining the lengths of various classes of roads: 

Length of NHS, SHs, and MDRS in miles

Where, 

A =  Agricultural area of the State in sq. miles. 

B =  Non-agricultural area of the State in sq. miles 

N =  Number of towns of population 2,000-5,000

T = Number of towns with a population over 5,000 

D =  An allowance for development during the next 20 years (about 15 percent) 

R = Length of railways in miles is under consideration.

 

The above formula developed an agricultural village 5 miles from the main road and the average distance will be 3 miles in many cases. In a non-agricultural area, no village will be more than 20 miles from the main road and the average distance will be 6 or 7 miles.

 The length of ODRS and Village Roads in miles.

where,

V = number of villages with a population of 500 or less

Q =  number of villages with a population of 501-1000 

R = number of villages with a population of 1001-2000

S =  number of villages with a population of 2001-5000 

D = Allowance for development during the next 20 years (usually 15 percent)

2. Second 20-year road plan (1961 - 1981 )   : 

• It was initiated by the IRC and was finalized in 1959 at the meeting of chief engineers. 
• It is known as the Bombay road plan. 
• The target road length was almost double that of the Nagpur road plan i.e. 10,57,330 km. Density about 32 km per 100 sq. km. and an outlay of 5200 crores 
• Every town with a population above 2000 in plans and above 1000 in semi hill area and above 500 in the hilly area should be connected by a metalled road. 
• The maximum distance from any place in a semi develop area would be 12.8 km from metalled road and 4.8 from any road Expressways have also been considered in this plan and 1600km of length has been included in the proposed target NH
• Length of railway track is independent of road system considered 5% are to be provided for future development and unforeseen factor 

3 . Third twenty years road plan (1981-2001) : 

• Future road development should be based on the revised classification of roads system i.e. primary, secondary, and tertiary Develop the rural economy and small towns with all essential features.  
• Population over 500 should be connected by all-weather roads.
• Density increases to 82 km per 100 sq. km
• The NH network should be expanded to form a square grid of 100 km sides so that no part of the country is more than 50 km away from the NH 

Third twenty years road plan recommendation :  

• Expressway major traffic corridors All towns and villages with a population over 1500 should be connected by MDR and villages with a population of 1000-1500 by ODR. should be constructed along Road should be built in less industrialized areas to attract the growth of industries
• The existing roads should be improved by rectifying the defects in the road geometry, widening, riding quality, and strengthening the existing pavement to save vehicle operating costs and thus conserve energy

Estimated market size:

Between FY16 and FY21, highway construction in India increased by 17.00% CAGR. The Indian government has constructed 13,298 km of highways in FY21 despite a pandemic and a lockdown. A total of Rs. 199,107.71 crores (US$ 26.04 billion) was allocated to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in the Union Budget 2022-23. Five thousand eight hundred thirty-five kilometers of national highways have been constructed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in FY22 (until December). A total of 2,284 kilometers of national highways were constructed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in June 2021, as compared to 1,681 kilometers in June 2020.

A total of nine National Highway projects worth more than Rs. 26.2 billion were laid in October 2020. In Tripura, $371.13 million has been invested in 2752 crores.

Under the National Infrastructure Pipeline, the Government of India has allocated Rs. 111 lakh crores (US$ 1.4 trillion). Over the next five years, capital expenditures will be accounted for by 18% in the roads sector.

NIIF's road and highway portfolio is being integrated into its overall portfolio by October 2020. A master fund managed by the NIIF acquired the Essel Devanahalli Tollway and Essel Dichpally Tollway. An established team of professionals with diverse domain expertise in the field of transportation will assist NIIF with these road infrastructure projects through Athaang Infrastructure, NIIF's proprietary road network.

Industry Contacts

• Ministry of Roads Transport and Highways
• National Highway Authority of India
• Indian Roads Congress
• Central Road Research Institute

Related:

1. Roads: Introduction, Importance, and Achievements
2. TYPES OF ROADS
3. Pavement in Roads
4. Road Failures: Failure in the subgrade, and sub-base or Base course