Gadkari chairs workshop aimed at seamless urban connectivity

     New Delhi, Sep 3 (PTI) Union Road Transport and Highways minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday chaired a consultation workshop on innovative policy interventions for construction of ring roads, bypasses for seamless urban connectivity.
     According to an official statement, the workshop highlighted the government's commitment to creating world-class, sustainable, and future-ready transport infrastructure, with a special focus on easing congestion around rapidly growing urban areas.
     The dignitaries discussed a range of innovative policy interventions, including the construction of ring roads and bypasses, to divert traffic from city centres, thereby decongesting urban National Highways, it added.
     "Discussions also focused on adopting value capture financing models to ensure sustainable funding, and aligning infrastructure development with city master plans for seamless integration," the statement said, adding that these measures are expected to not only enhance mobility but also promote planned and regulated development in the influence zones of ring roads and bypasses.
     The consultation was aimed at seeking views and suggestions from state and UT governments on a set of key policy initiatives under finalisation by the central government, expected to play an important role in supporting infrastructure development and coordinated urban planning along the National Highways across the country.
     The statement said the Urban Decongestion Policy aims to reduce traffic bottlenecks on National Highways passing through cities with population of more than one lakh by developing access-controlled ring roads, bypasses and elevated corridors.
     The policy emphasises close integration with urban master plans to ensure that new highway infrastructure complements city development and helps prevent unplanned growth along corridors, it added.
     The statement also said the State Road Development Policy is being designed to provide central support for the upgrade of high-traffic state highways to four lanes or more.
     "The policy proposes a cost-sharing framework between the Centre and states, complemented by public-private partnership (PPP) arrangements to attract private investment " it said.
     According to the statement, the 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, the statement added.
     Alongside these changes, the statement said stricter enforcement of the Control of National Highways (Land and Traffic) Act, 2002 is being emphasised 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.
     Detailed presentations were made by senior MoRT&H officials, outlining objectives and features of proposed policies, with inputs from external ministries, including the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)