Highway development in India Ancient Times The Aryan Period Mughal Period 19th Century Jayakar Committe Road Construction in India

1. DEPARTMENT OF
CIVIL ENGINEERING
Highway Development in India
Er.Ramprasad Kumawat
M.Tech

2. Highway Development in India
 Ancient Times:
The excavation of the Mohn-Jodaro and
Harappa civilization shows the traces of
the roads in the Ancient Indian times, in a
period f 35th to 25th B.C.

3. The Aryan Period and Road
Construction
 There are various scriptures available, which
script about the road development in India in the
Aryan period.
 "Arthashastra" written by Kautilya (Chanakya),
the prime minister of the Chandra Gupta Mourya,
discusses the rules laid down for the depth of the
road construction for different purposes in the
4th century.
 There were punishments for obstruction of roads.
 The emperor Ashoka has improved the quality of
the roads in India for the travelers, in his ruling
period i.e. fifth century A.D.

4. Mughal period and Road
Construction
 The Mughal and Pathans improved the
quality of the roads in India.
 Sher Shah Suri is still remembered for the
construction of the Grand Trunk Road
(GT Road) from Bangladesh-India to
Kabul in Afghanistan.

5. 19th Century and Road
Construction in India
 After the fall of the Mughal Empire in India
in 19th century the Britishers participated in
the road construction for the military and
administrative purposes. The work was
carried out by the British Military
Engineers.
 Railway was introduced later but the
existing roads were metaled and bridges
were provided.

6.  The Governor General of India i.e. Lord
Dalhousie in the mid of 19th century
introduced the PWD (Public works
department), which still runs the various
public works in India.
 Later after the introduction of the railways
in India the attention was shifted to the
railways construction and only the feeder
roads and railways got the prime importance
afterwards.

7. Jayakar Committee
The committee was formed by the both
chambers of the Indian Legislature in the
year 1927 to examine the roads in the India
and ways of their development.
The number of vehicles on the Indian roads
increased after the first world war, so it was
felt necessary to develop a good network of
the roads in India.

8.  Indian Road development committee was
formed in the year 1927, with M.R.Jayakar
as its chairman.
 The committee submitted its report in the
year 1928, and made some important
recommendations:
 The road development in India should be
considered a national interest, because it is
out of control of the local bodies.

9.  An extra tax should be put on the petrol
consumers to develop a road development
fund, called the Central Road Fund.
 A semi-official body should be formed to
pool technical ideas, knowledge from the
various parts of the country and to act as an
advisory body on various aspects of roads.
 A research organization should be organized
to carry out the research and development
work.

10.  As a result of these recommendations a
central Road Fund was formed by the year
1929, a semi-official body called Indian
Roads Congress was formed in 1934 and
the Central Roads Research Institute was
started in 1950.

11. Central Road Fund (1929)
 Central Road Fund was formed in the year
1929, extra money 2.64 paisa per liter of the
petrol, was charged from all the patrol buyer
in the country.
 This fund was kept separate for the use in the
road development in India.

12.  About 20% of the fund was kept to be used
for the expenses of the administrative
meetings and the research work of the
highways of the national importance in the
country.
 The rest of the 80% of the funds were
distributed among the provinces at that time,
according to their road users, for the
development of the roads by the state
governments.

13. Indian Roads Congress (1934)
 A semi-government organization named,
Indian Roads Congress was formed in the
year December 1934, and was registered in
the year 1937 under the registration act.

14.  The main function of the IRC was to act as a
forum for the regular pooling of the
technical knowledge and know how, from
the various parts of the country.
 IRC performed the various planning's, and
also it has become the most important
agency to provide the standards and the
specifications for the road construction in
the country.

15. Motor vehicle act(1939)
 The increased numbers of vehicle on the
Indian roads demanded for the rules and
regulations.
 The motor vehicle act was passed in 1939,
which laid down the rules for the road users
and also for the identity of the vehicles.
 It is still running in the country in almost
same way as it was at that time.

16. Central Road Research Institute(1951)
 A series of laboratories, known as the Central
Science and Industrial Research Center situated at
Delhi.
 The research center for the research work of the
road construction in India.
 It is known as the Central Road Research Institute
 The main function of the CRRI is to do the
research work for the road construction and to
provide the consultation services for the state
government also.

17. First 20-years road plan
(Nagpur Road Plan-1943 to 1963)
The first twenty years road network plan was
prepared in the meeting of the Chief
Engineers from the various parts of the
country at the Nagpur, in 1943, which is
also known as the Nagpur road plan.
 It was the first ever major planning which
contributed a lot for the development of the
roads in the country.

18.  It classified the Indian roads according to
their location and purpose, and also it laid
down a target for a density of road network
of 16 km per 100 sq. Km in the country at
the end of the 20 years road network in the
year 1963.

19.  After the starting of the 5 years plans in the
year 1951, the first two 5 years plans also
contributed to the target set by the first 20
years plan of the Nagpur so the density of
16 km per 100 sq. Km was achieved in the
year 1961, 2 years earlier to the target year.

21. National Highway Act, 1956
 Main features:
 The responsibility of development and
maintenance of the National highways (NH)
to be provisionally taken by the central
government.
 The central Govt. to be empowered to
declare any other highway as NH or to omit
any of the existing national highways from
the list.

22. Second 20-years road plan
(Bombay Road Plan- 1961 to 1981)
 As the earlier target was achieved before the
planned year, so a need to set a new
target arises and another 20 years road plan
was laid down at the meeting of the various
authorities from different states at Bombay.
 The road density target was doubled this
time.

23.  Also known as Bombay road plan
 Target road density doubled from 1st : 32km
per 100 sq.km area.
 Construction of 1600km of Expressways
was also included in this plan.

24. Highway Research Board (HRB), 1973
 Objectives IRC Highway Research Board are:
 To ascertain the nature and extent of research
required
 To correlate research information from various
organizations in India and abroad with a view
to exchange publications and information on
roads
 To co-ordinate and conduct correlation services
 To collect and disseminate results on research
 To channelize consultative services

25. National Transport Policy
Committee, 1978
 Govt. of India appointed NTPC in the year
1978
 To prepare a comprehensive national transport
policy for the country for the next decade or so.
 The NTPC report was made available in the
year 1980 and many of the major
recommendations of this report have been
accepted by the Govt. of India.
 Some of the recommendations & suggestions:

26.  Inclusion of transport in the priority sector
 Requirement of roads in rural, hilly and
tribal areas in the next road dev. Plans
 Strengthening of NH system
 Increase in funds for the maintenance of
roads & to connect all the villages with all
weather low-cost roads within next 20 years

27. 3rd 20 year Road Development
Plan (1981-2001)
 Also known as ‘Lucknow road plan’
 Some of the important aspects :
 Improvement of transportation facilities in
villages, towns and small cities,
 Conservation of energy,
 Preservation of environmental quality &
improvement in road safety
 Target road density: 46km (1981) to 82 km
(2001) per 100 sq.km area.

28. National Highway Authority of
India (NHAI), 1995
 Responsible to develop, maintain and
operate the NH
 Under the control of Ministry of Road
Transport and Highways
 National Highway Development Programme
(NHDP):
 Projects under NHDP:
 Golden Quadrilateral
 N-S & E-W Corridor

29.  Port connectivity
 National Rural Development Agency
(NRRDA):
 Program under this agency: Pradhan Mantri
Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)
 Aim is to connect villages with a population
over 1000 persons through good all weather
roads by 2003 (already achieved) and to
connect villages with 500 population by
2007

30. Golden Quadrilateral
Length :- 5846 km Connecting Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai

34.  THANKS!
 Gmail: ramkumawat001@gmail.com