In the next 5 years, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is planning to develop a grid of world-class wayside amenities along national highways and expressways. This will be done at 600 locations on public private partnership (PPP) mode.
World Class Wayside Amenities
World class retail, food court, restaurants, medical services, public conveniences, banquets, and recreational facilities for highway users will be developed in a total of 3,000 hectares of land alongside both greenfield and existing alignments, as per the plan. It will also host dedicated retail area for local arts and crafts.
Often truck drivers cannot sleep due to lack of dormitories, hence provisions of the same will be made so that they can get quality rest during the travel. For emergency purposes, helipads will also be there for wayside amenities.
As far as the development of highway amenities is concerned, government is studying that on every 40 to 60 kilometres. The study of all trucking corridors as well as the expressways and the national highways on which the grid of wayside amenities will be developed is already done, said a source.
A total of 376 world-class wayside amenities will come up alongside the national highways and expressways. In addition to these, Northern India will have 67 locations for wayside amenities whereas 45 will developed in the South, Eastern India shall have 40 locations whereas 29 will be developed in the South.
The greenfield Delhi-Mumbai expressway, which is expected to reduce the travel distance between the national capital and the financial capital, will witness development of 94 world class amenities along its alignment. Delhi – Mumbai expressway is a 1,250 km, eight-lane greenfield expressway being developed at a cost of Rs 90,000 crore and is expected to be completed by January 2023.
New Policy For Wayside Amenities Development
A new policy for the development of wayside amenities on the national highways and expressways on the land belonging to NHAI or a private party on the alignment of a project was developed by the Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry.
Commenting on the lease period, lease of up to 30 years for development of the wayside amenities can only be granted if NHAI approves. As per the notification which was issued by the ministry, “The period of lease shall not be more than 30 years for sites with no constructed asset, i.e. in cases where the wayside amenity will have to be completely developed by the private party/developer”.
According to the notification, no more than 15 years of lease shall be done for the sites where the authority has already undertaken construction of wayside amenity.
The parties who shall quote the highest annual revenue share amount will be awarded the land for development of the wayside amenities on the national highways as the whole award process is on the competitive basis. Only if the total annual realization to the authority — annual rental and estimated revenue share is at least 5 per cent of the land cost, will the bid be accepted.
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