Take this road, be transported

These are also a part of the reason why this 82-km stretch between Kotputli and Amer is a world apart from the rest of the Golden Quadrilateral (GQ), which is pockmarked by problems, delays and protests. The Prime Minister’s dream project, the GQ is meant to comprise four-lane, state-of-the-art highways linking the four metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.

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The electronic call boxes are a part of the Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS), including close-circuit TV cameras, video message boards and met sensors, installed between Kotputli and Amer on the Delhi-Jaipur stretch.

In the two years since it was put in place, the ATMS has brought down accidents in the stretch by 20 per cent and death figures by 24 per cent.

The success of the pilot project by Siemens has prompted the extension of the ATMS to the entire 242 km of the Delhi-Jaipur highway being managed by a private company, Intertoll ICS Cecon. The next stop is the full GQ.

This part of NH-8, past Gurgaon and Manesar, that became four-laned in 2001 is a testing ground for not just road design but also for highway management. To catch encroachers, NHAI officials have been given judicial powers to challan them. Those speeding can be arrested or challaned by the state patrol. ‘‘The mistakes of this highway are not going to be repeated in the other stretches and also the maintenance by a private company has worked well,’’ says L.K. Joshi, Member, Administration, NHAI.

The entrance to the Delhi-Jaipur stretch is through a toll plaza at Bilaspur. As the flexible arms of the toll plaza let you in, plants in medians are being watered, roads being swept and patrol vehicles stand on alert.

Faces behind the voices from the call box emerge at Shahpura, where the Siemens control centre is located in a refurbished government building. This is where the entire system is connected, processed and archived.

The large air-conditioned carpeted interiors are manned by three people sitting before touchscreen operator consoles and headphones. As soon as a button is pressed on a call box, it flashes on the call operator’s screen.

Immediately the traffic manager on the next terminal is activated, he alerts the ambulance, police patrol or the cranes to rush to the spot.

At present a large chunk of the calls inquire about distances, utilities or are prompted by plain curiosity. In the past two years, the centre has received 88,948 calls, of which 1,070 have been accident-related. A cost-benefit analysis shows there has been a saving of Rs 201 crore in the loss incurred on injuries, death and vehicle damage in this period.

The Siemens centre can also monitor the highway through six close-circuit cameras that can scan 1 square km. It has footage of hit-and-run cases and fires, and of the kind of assistance that can be provided if the accident is within camera range.

Besides, there are met stations relaying data round the clock and overhead variable electronic message boards for instant messaging like ‘Slow down, lane closed’ or ‘Caution, poor visibility’.

With the traffic-classification system, it is possible to automatically classify vehicles and measure speed and occupancy levels — information that could serve a useful purpose in future road planning.

The stretch where this system is at work is largely rural or semi-urban. And the people there have figured out two things by now: one, there are cameras watching them so they should not fiddle with anything; two, if they press the button, police will reach them in double quick time. So it is not uncommon for the centre to get calls relating to disputes or fights in villages.

NHAI has learnt other things from the exercise. There is a need for more underpasses and cattle passes, plus a need to cut down on that one common feature of our country roads: dhabas. Dhabas spring wherever they smell business, and in their wake come buses and later slowing down of traffic. ‘‘We have started identifying dhabas which need to be closed or need to be clubbed together with others so that common access can be given for them,’’ says R.K. Gupta, Project Director, NHAI.

Spaces have now been marked on the highway for large amenity centres, which will house dhabas, petrol pumps, toilets, resting places, workshops and shops.

Petrol pumps have already started readying themselves for the new reality of Indian roads. The Bharat Petroleum ‘Seva Ghar’ at Bilaspur is spread across a 3.5-acre campus, and sports a dhaba with buffet meals, lodging facilities, entertainment parks, a doctor on call and fleet cards for drivers to buy petrol.

‘‘We want truck drivers to come here and spend some time with us and while leaving, buy fuel,’’ says V.K. Bhatia, manager for the pump.

It is a sign the global village has come to the highway. If you have spent your entire life saying why-doesn’t-anything-move-in-this-country, this is one ride you shouldn’t miss.

(Tomorrow: One man recounts how Maoist rebels have come to haunt Bihar-Jharkhand stretch)

PREVIOUSLY
PART V: NHAI in jam as flyover calls clog GQ
PART IV: Where people roll out the red carpet
PART III: Its plate full, NHAI faces fields of rice
PART II: Running into Great Wall of China in UP
PART I: The Great Indian Road Show Crawls