Over the past few days, the agonies suffered by road users in Maharashtra have dominated media coverage, both print and electronic. The public outcry is similar for urban and rural roads. The plight of the travelling multitude became more pathetic during the Ganesh Festival when lakhs of them began their trips, near and far. A journey that should ideally take a few hours was extended to almost half a day or even more. The complaints concerned the national and state highways as well as district and rural roads. The high court has time and again pulled up the authorities for bad roads, for delayed road projects and for inflating expenditure on them. However, the conditions have been deteriorating every other day.
Chief minister Eknath Shinde, public works department (PWD) minister Ravindra Chavan and several other leaders have inspected the roads and made announcements about the plans to improve them in a timebound manner. As part of this initiative, the PWD and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), will now be assisted by one more agency, called the Maharashtra State Infrastructure Development Corporation (MSIDC), to undertake road construction and repair works in the state. The agency will have an authorised capital of Rs 100 crore. It will function under the PWD. The agency will be allowed to work in other states also, under the PPP model.
Maharashtra claims to be the topmost state in India and leads on certain fronts. However, its road network has been a cause of concern as it has started claiming more lives and damaging vehicles more seriously, nothing to say about the longer travel time for going anywhere across the state.
Several expert committees have told the government in unison that four principal factors are responsible for Maharashtra’s pathetic roads and loss of lives. Poor road designs is the most primary cause for pothole formation on roads. As and when there is water logging on a road, its surface weakens and gives in. Since heavy vehicles ply day and night and are mostly overloaded, their burden on these weakened roads results in surface breaking. This causes potholes.
Neglect of such craters further damages the roads.
Each road is designed to carry a particular load. But owing to the overloaded heavy vehicles which use the road, the surface goes on weakening, developing potholes over a period of time.
It is a usual grievance that damaged roads are not repaired scientifically, giving rise to the number and deepness of the potholes. Ignoring them causes them to reappear and spread to nearby potholes. Officials, contractors and decision-makers have formed cartels everywhere. They together milk the system by certifying inferior works as satisfactory.
Erratic and rash driving coupled with bad roads is a daily occurrence in all parts of India. In a World Bank report, it has been noted that around nine lakh people are killed or maimed due to road mishaps every year in India. The loss or damage due to them costs over Rs.150 billion to the nation.
Experts lament that road safety is generally overlooked as priority is given to complete a journey in as less a time as possible. The reason for such callousness is that there is no road training or education. Driving licenses are issued right and left by the corrupt machinery. There is no audit of driving safety either.
Union highways minister Nitin Gadkari has declared an ambitious plan for 50 percent reduction in crash fatalities by 2025. However, there is skepticism about achieving such a reduction as the reasons for India’s road fatalities are chronic, from badly designed infrastructure and the culture of disobedience.
Driver safety and road safety considerations rank way below in Indian priorities. Their audits are totally overlooked. The Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), which studies transportation planning, has made several recommendations and set up norms. By observing them while planning and constructing roads, road fatalities can come down easily by 25 percent at least, according to experts. The basic requirement of road construction is that it must fulfill the needs of different users all through the year. Once a road is built, its worthiness needs to be checked frequently. This is one factor that is given a go-bye in India.
Gadkari’s ministry is engaged in identifying and fixing black spots on national highways throughout the country. He had undertaken such an exercise in Maharashtra when he was its PWD minister between 1995 and 1999. The initiative languished when his party was out of the state government. Afte taking over as India’s highways minister, he has renewed the effort. But considering the neglect of road discipline at every level, the incidence of causalities persists. This is compounded by bad roads. Moreover, India’s enforcement of speed regulations, drunk driving and seatbelt laws is much lower, according to the World Health Organization. When the Union government proposed a revised Motor Vehicles Act some years ago, with stricter safety regulations to curb offenders, many states resisted implementing it. Although Maharashtra had initially supported the step, it later changed its stand and demanded to lower the hefty penalties proposed.
India’s several traffic rules are stricter than those in other nations. For example, the use of mobile phones while driving is banned in India but allowed in China, the US and the UK. The use in these countries is allowed as long as the driver is not holding the device. India has a lower blood alcohol limit at 0.03 percent against 0.08 percent for the US and the UK.
Corruption in the road construction sector is another crucial factor that makes law enforcement in the country laughing stock. Obtaining a driver’s license or road worthiness certificate for the vehicle involves bribes. This is an open secret but not spoken about loudly.
India’s police statistics clearly shows that the force is understaffed, thereby making enforcement difficult. Therefore, the traffic monitoring should be enhanced by using model technology. Emphasis on traffic calming, along with lower speed limits in residential areas and school zones is one such measure.
Road users and the devotees of Lord Ganesh can only pray for better travelling conditions and facilities in the days to come.
A Column By
Dilip Chaware – Senior Editor
A media professional for 43 years, with extensive experience of writing on
a variety of subjects; he is also a documentary producer and book author.
