SMOOTH RUN ON NATIONAL HIGHWAYS

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RAJYA SABHA

The Government is proposing to enact a legislation titled ‘Control of National Highways (Land and Traffic)’ with the objective of providing powers to the competent authority in the highway department for prevention of unauthorised occupation of highway land and their removal, control of access points to the National Highways, regulation of traffic and control of use of road land for public utility etc.

The proposed legislation provides for appointment of a body to be known as Highway Administration for enforcing the provisions of the Act. The jurisdiction of the Highway Administration will be for specific section/sections of National Highway/National Highways.

The estimated expenditure for implementation of the Act may be around Rs.26 crore per annum apart from non-recurring initial expenditure of about Rs.58 crore. The funds will be provided by the Central Government.

The proposed legislation provides for establishment of one or more Tribunals for hearing appeals against the orders of the Highway Administration and its various officers.

This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Road Transport and Highways, Major General (Retd.) B.C. Khanduri in reply to a question of Shri B.J. Panda and Shri Moolchand Meena in Rajya Sabha today.