Following the lead of Karnataka which gave BlackBerries to traffic policemen in Bangalore to record traffic violations nearly four years back, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh are using the latest technology in traffic enforcement and reducing human intervention. In Chennai, traffic policemen have been provided 300 smart multi-task handsets. After the success of the Chennai experiment, the state government has ...

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has begun the process of emphasising on the use of RFID for Electronic Toll Collections at the National Highways by inviting Expression of Interest (EOI) from interested stakeholders. It seems serious to take the issue forward soon as it has been updating its website on every development on the issue. NHAI had invited EOI ...

The government plans to provide one free drivers’ resting place every 50km along National Highways similar to the ones available in developed countries. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has identified 60 sites to develop rest houses which will include facilities for commuters also. Eleven places are already operational. The Rajasthan government too has short-listed a few sites along NH8 for the purpose. The ...

The Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan recently inaugurated a 2.4km long flyover in Panvel, near Mumbai. The flyover, while reducing travel time for commuters, fuel consumption and traffic jams, will also encourage people to take the old Mumbai-Pune highway. The flyover, which is 17m wide with two arms of 437m each, has two lanes in each direction. It has been ...

About 70% of the bridge work of Metro rail over Western Railway tracks near Andheri station is completed. The original deadline of Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar route (Phase 1) of Mumbai Metro was December 2012 but it has spilled over to next year as the work is yet to be completed. The bridge is 183 metre long and is being built in three ...

Cars imported from the European Union could be available at prices just a tad bit higher than those in Europe. A free trade agreement to this effect is under negotiation between the Indian government and the EU, under which the government will charge a 10% duty on 2.5 lakh cars imported from the EU, instead of the normal 60%. This ...

The Union Rural Development Ministry has proposed a र4000 crore package for construction and renovation of rural roads in West Bengal. The plan which involves nearly 10,000km of roads will be carried out under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. The State Rural Development Department is expected to prepare a detailed project report by this October on about 4000km of ...

In order to increase the use of public transport in Karnataka, the ministry has initiated several proposals. To ensure buses maintain time, Vehicle Tracking System will be installed in 4,000 KSRTC buses. This system will provide information on real time vehicle location and expected time of arrival at any selected bus stand/pickup point. It will also enable people to get ...

The Central government has decided to constitute the National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRC) to focus on execution of the bullet train project, including tendering, pre-feasibility study and awarding contracts. According to Railway officials, among the eight upcoming high speed rail corridors, the one between Mumbai-Ahmedabad will be taken up on priority. The 492-km-long Mumbai-Ahmedabad rail route will see its ...

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a new $800m loan as part of a $1.2bn programme to help to improve safety and connectivity on India’s roads. The funding aims to connect villages in Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, and West Bengal states with all-weather roads by the end of 2017. ADB will set up six rural road network management ...