Improved Highway Experience with Implementation of Wayside Amenities Project

In order to harness the national highways’ potential for tourism, the Government of India has been coming up with different initiatives and measures that can modernise highways. In a series of initiatives, the recent one is the Wayside Amenities project. Mr Akhilesh Srivastava, Chief General Manager (CGM) of the IT & Highway Operations division of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), has been one of the persons instrumental in the implementation of this prestigious project.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which was established in 1988 by an act of parliament (NHAI Act), has been assigned with development, maintenance, and management of the assigned portion of the national highway network. It has been using different processes and mechanisms to meet its growing demands i.e.; to effectively operate the national highways in the wake of surging traffic.

Similarly, it has been stressing on the growth of roadside amenities and Toll infrastructure. The Wayside Amenities Project was started by the NHAI to revamp the highway network with attractive amenities and facilities that would definitely win the hearts of commuters and traders.

Under Wayside Amenities, which is one of the largest Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects, the NHAI along with its private partners would be developing different types of amenities across India. The NHAI has finalised three amenity brands/models, for which the bids are already invited. At some locations, the developers/contractors have begun constructing the facilities according to the standard guidelines laid by the NHAI.

Mr Akhilesh Srivastava, who is the head of the operations division in NHAI, is one of the active participants involved in this project. Under this project, the three models/brands that have been developing by the parties are Highway Nests (Mini), Highway Nests, and Highway Villages. This project is laden with many advantages that would be unfolding in the near future.

Here is a brief summary on each of the Wayside Amenities models:

Highway Nest (Mini) – This is a small wayside facility in which commuters can purchase packaged food and avail facilities like toilets, drinking water, ATMs. This type of amenity model would be developed near to the Toll plazas.

Highway Nest – A lot of facilities like hotels, dhabas, dormitories, haats, parking areas for commercial as well as non-commercial vehicles, would be developed by the contractors under the brand name Highway Nest. These facilities would be coming up within an area of 5 Acres of land.

Highway Village – Except for the area of the land, everything would be same with facilities that are planned under the brand name ‘Highway Village’. If the said facilities would be occupying an area greater than 5 Acres, then that area will be branded as a ‘Highway Village’.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways asked the Highway operations division of NHAI, which is headed by Mr Akhilesh Srivastava, to expedite the acquisition of land abutting national highways. It also called upon the farmers, whose land is alongside national highways, to partner with the government of India in this mega project.

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Aadhyakalyan completed her PG from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in 2008. she stories have previously been published in Writing Magazine and Best journals. she lives in Hyderabad, India."