AMN / NEW DELHI
National Highways Authority of India, NHAI has approached all IITs, NITs and reputed Engineering Colleges to collaborate and adopt nearby stretches of National Highways on voluntary basis as part of Institutional Social Responsibility.
This is part of NHAI’s endeavor to provide world-class National Highways network.
The objective is to leverage the intellectual prudence of students and faculty towards improvement of road infrastructure ecosystem of the country.
The Institutes along with its faculty and students have better appreciation of local requirement, topography, and resource potential and these vital inputs can be utilized by NHAI during different stages of pre-construction, construction and operation of NH stretches.
This decentralized approach, besides building a sense of participation in decision making, also provides an opportunity to the students for hands-on-learning, option for internship and future areas of research.
Adoption of NH stretch by an Institute would facilitate stakeholder engagement and help to mitigate the routine local problems such as traffic movement, congestion and immediate identification of accident prone sites.
The Highway users become more empowered in resolving local problems through the Institute and the Authority.
Such instances would help NHAI in understanding the local needs both in present and future projects, improve the maintenance and riding comfort and develop wayside amenities for enhanced user experience.
The overall outcome shall be commuter friendly and enjoyable ride on the NH stretch.
Large number of IITs, NITs and Engineering Colleges have opted to join the scheme and NHAI officers have started mutual consultation with Directors of the interested Institutes.
Memorandum of Understanding are being signed between the individual Institutes and NHAI for institutionalization of the scheme and bringing reformative improvements in the road infrastructure of the country.
