We have been travelling on these routes for the last 7-8 years & adapting our drives based on the route that offers the best road conditions and better timings for that year.

BHPian adetour recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Route to NE, over the years

TLDR: Read on if interested in knowing how much the road to NE from South has evolved

We've constantly been on the Bangalore/Chennai to NE route for the last 7-8 years and have been tracking the various changes and evolution. If you'd gone through the sheet snippet of all the drives in detail, you'd notice that the onwards-return drive route mainly between Kolkata and Siliguri would have changed through the years. We have been adapting our onwards-return drive based on the route that offers the best road conditions and better timings for that year.

NE 2016 & 2017:

NH5 (new NH16) as it was called back in those days, was fully 4 laned (no 6 laning work too) after Vijayawada. It was the longer old alignment through Tadepallegudem, Tanuku, Ravulapalem. Crossing Vizag had to be planned properly, as there was no Bypass yet, it used to take an hour in the best case and even 2.5 hours in peak hours for the 60kms from the end of Anakapalle to Anandapuram through Gajuwaka and MVP old bypass route.

Up East, it was the days of the Bhagalpur route, with a dilemma of Deogarh vs Dumka. Deogarh route used to be a bit better, with lesser truck traffic. There was no question of the Malda route in these years, we had only heard about the infamous Farakka and Dalkhola jams, bad roads, etc and stayed away from it. We never ventured on the Suri, Rampurhat routes as they were also infamous for truck jams.

There was no proper Fulbari Bypass from Ghoshpukur, we used to go across Siliguri town from Bagdogra to Sevoke, and then take the Damdim - Chalsa - Banarhat route.

NE 2016 onwards drive, NE 2017 onwards and return drive route

Kolkata Bypass - Dankuni - GT Road - Burdwan Bypass - Durgapur - Asansol Bypass - Jamtara - Palajori - Sarath - Deogarh - Katoria - Banka - Bhagalpur Bypass - Vikramshila Setu - Naugachhia - Purnea Bypass - Dalkhola NH27 - Islampur(no bypass back then) - Bagdogra(no Fulbari Bypass back then) - Siliguri Town - Sevoke Coronation Bridge

Roads used to be 2 laned all the way from Asansol Bypass to Purnea Bypass on this route (it still is!), but the 2 laned roads were generally good. We took the Deogarh, Banka route in 2016,17 also because the Dumka - Hansdiha wasn't great. Closer to Bhagalpur, trucks used to be parked for kms together, to cross Vikramshila Setu from evening/night, we got small jams at times, but nothing major.

NE 2016 return drive, was similar as above, but a small change from Palajori

Sevoke - Siliguri - Dalkhola NH27 - Purnea Bypass - Naugachhia - Vikramshila Setu - Bhagalpur Bypass - Banka - Katoria - Deogarh - Palajori - Gumro - Anguthia - Tarapatiya - Nala - Runakuraghat Bridge - Asansol Bypass - GT Road - Dankuni

We used to experiment with such routes in the interiors of Jharkhand, they were actually pretty good with nice landscapes too

NE 2019:

Vizag Bypass was partially constructed with a lot of diversions and road work through Sabbavaram and Pendurthi towns. We "tried" this route for the onward drive, it was as bad as the traditional NH5 route, as a lot of trucks were taking it, jams and diversions, no time was actually saved. 6-lane road work and other flyover works had commenced from Anandapuram towards Palasa, so this sector became slower than before due to diversions. There was some road work that had started between Bhubaneshwar and Bhadrak too. We took the Vizag town NH5 route on return, but ended up in evening peak hours, so it took 2+ hours to cross, even with some detours through Simhachalam to NAD junction.

Onwards route :

Kolkata Bypass - Dankuni - GT Road - Asansol Bypass - Nala - Masalia - Dumka Bypass - Hansdiha - Bhagalpur Bypass - Naugachhia - Purnea Bypass - Dalkhola NH27 - Islampur - Siliguri

Nala route was a popular and quicker choice now over the Jamtara route, it was a very good 2-lane road. This year, Dumka - Bhagalpur was in very good shape too, so no more Deogarh route. Due to the effects of CAA-NRC protests, we got delayed by 1.5 hours in Kolkata Bypass(this was the day trains were burnt), so we ended up in truck timings on Bhagalpur Bypass. Crossing Bhagalpur was a big mess due to trucks lined up and being let through, we saw 1000s of trucks.

Return route :

Siliguri - Islampur - Dalkhola town - Raiganj - Malda Bypass - Farakka Bridge - Morgram - Panchgram - Kuli - Nutanhat - Burdwan town - GT Road - Dankuni

To avoid any CAA-NRC protests, we decided to do a night drive through West Bengal. Night drive on the Bhagalpur route was a big no due to truck traffic. So we tried the Malda route, as we had always heard that this route was best done at night. There was fog all the way from Dalkhola to Farakka, so progress was slow. Bengal 2 Bengal route from Dhantola to Botolbari was famous in those days for avoiding Dalkhola jam (funnily Google still suggests it even today! ). Since it was night time and fully foggy, we decided to stick to the NH. We somehow crossed the Dalkhola jam within 20 minutes luckily, it was a relief having heard people get stuck for hours. Dalkhola - Raiganj had 4 laning road work with diversions, we just followed a Kolkata Volvo which was doing decent pace in fog. Crossing Raiganj was okay, after which we got the newly done 4-lane road, but due to fog, the pace was very slow all the way till Kaliachak IOC, but there was hardly any traffic. After this fog reduced a bit, crossing Farakka also was easy, there were no jams, maybe due to the fog. The 4 laned roads continued although with few diversions till Moregram. We took the then-famous route of Moregram-Burdwan. It was around 120kms of 2 laned roads, with trucks for company and huge speed breakers, around 50 of them. It took over 3 hours for this section, road conditions was just okay.

NE 2020

Onwards route :

NH5 - Kharagpur - Salboni - Bishnupur - Bankura - MTPS - Raniganj - Asansol Bypass - Nala - Masalia - village detours near Dumka - Jama - half broken bridge - Barapalasi - Hansdiha - detour for border jam - Bhagalpur Bypass - Purnea Bypass - Araria - Bahadurganj - Thakurganj - Panitanki - Bagdogra - Siliguri

From Bangalore, Chittor - Tirupati route was under 6 laning all the way. Massive 6-laning work had started all across GQ. From Gannavaram after Vijayawada, all the way to Eluru toll, it was a narrow service road as the main road was under road work. After Eluru Bypass, the old Tanuku route was rough and potholed. Rajahmundry - Vizag was luckily okay. From the learnings of 2019, we had planned crossing Vizag in the early morning hours, it was very peaceful. Vizag - Palasa, a few 6 laned sections were done, many were still diversions. Phew, after crossing AP, entire Odisha almost from Ganjam till Balasore had 6 laning work, flyover work, diversions continuously.

We had learnt that the direct Kharagpur to Raniganj road via Bishnupur, Bankura was done and a good choice now, faster than the 120kms longer route via Kolkata Bypass, Burdwan. We had stayed at Kharagpur to do this 2-lane section early morning, and it was a quick drive, very good roads. Nala route was very good to Dumka. But now we had another puzzle to solve, as both river bridges around Dumka were broken in the Monsoon, there were people "helping" to cross the river through the stones over the riverbed, but it was time-consuming one.

Trucks were taking the Basukinath route and it was jammed. In between both, we had a detour route via Jama to Barapalasi, athlough with a rough road leading to a partially bent bridge over Mayurakshi river, just enough for cars to cross it. We somehow crossed it, Dumka - Bhagalpur was good, except for a truck jam at the JH-BR border for which we took another detour. Deogarh route was bad that year and hence all this adventure via Dumka.

Similarly, Dalkhola - Islampur - Bagdogra NH27 had gone very bad, with lots of reports of rough surface and crater potholes all the way. At the same time, Araria - Thakurganj - Siliguri was properly 2 laned tolled road and was a better alternative. We took this road between Araria and Siliguri both onwards and return, except for diversions for couple of broken bridges around Jokihat, it was a good 2 laned road all the way. Totally out of <700kms, only around 40-50kms were 4 laned, rest were all 2 laned roads.

Return route :

Siliguri - Thakurganj - Araria - NH27 E-W corridor all the way to Jhansi

All of us in the group decided to return via the North India route, with a visit to long pending Orchha. Was such a relief from all the detours, diversions and was a peaceful return drive

NE 2022

Onwards and return route :

NH5 - Kolkata Bypass - Dankuni - Mogra - STKK Road via Kalna, Nabadwip, Gouranga Setu - Krishnanagar - Berhampore Swami Akhandananda Sarani Rd Bypass - Malda Bypass - Raiganj - Dalkhola - Islampur Bypass - Fulbari Bypass - Jalpaiguri Bypass - Dhupguri - Telipara

Huge changes within 2 years in all sections. We took the exact same route for onwards and return

• Chittor - Tirupati was 6 laned, road work on Renigunta - Naidupeta had started.
• Vijaywada Benz Circle flyover was done. Gannavaram - Bhimadole was fully 6 laned.
• New greenfield route from Bhimadole to Diwancheruvu bypassing Rajahmundry was the default new NH16 now, saving 30-40kms and lots of time compared to Tanuku route.
• Vizag Bypass was partially 70% ready and actually motorable except for Sabbavaram and Pendurthi Bypasses.
• Vizag - Srikakulam - Narasanapeta was superb 6 laned road. Narasanapeta - AP Border was superb 4 laned road with 6 laned bridges.
• Ganjam - Barkul - Tangi was good 4 laned surface, with 6 laned Bridges.
• 200 kms from Tangi to Ranital after Bhadrak was fully 6 laned, with just 5-6 flyover work pending and diversions for that.
• Ranital - Balasore 50kms was the remaining painful section, lots of diversions for flyover work still, not much had progressed since 2020 days.
• WB section after Jaleshwar to Kharapur had concrete road maintenance and Emergency runway creation. So it had lots of speed breakers and diversions, this section was slow.

Kolkata - Siliguri section had also vastly improved due to Old Delhi Road and STKK Road connectivity to Krishnanagar.

• Dankuni - Mogra Old Delhi road was 4 laned SH, many trucks had not started taking this route in 2022.
• Mogra - Kalna - Nabadwip - Gouranga Setu - Krishnanagar was a very good 2 laned SH, although with 3 railway crossings.
• Krishnanagar - Berhampore initially had road work on Krishnanagar Bypass, after which was 4 laned except few sections of 2 laned road at Debagram, Beldanga, Bhabta.
• The famous local bypass for Berhampore in 2022 was via Swami Akhandananda Sarani Rd, which was narrow, still took 25 minutes to cross, but avoided the main road jams. Berhampore NH Bypass didn't seem anywhere near completion.
• Berhampore - Malda was the usual 4 laned road, except Farakka Bridge and small jams of Kaliachak Market.
• Raiganj Bypass was not yet ready, so it was the old 2 laned Bypass.
• After Raiganj, it was superb 4/6 laned roads all the way with newly done and recently opened sections bypassing Karandighi, Domohona, and most importantly Dalkhola!
• Islampur Bypass was ready
• Fulbari Bypass was mostly ready except the section from Mahananda Barrage which was 2 laned. This was crucial in completely bypassing Siliguri and saving lots of time. This also meant the route to NE via Jalpaiguri Bypass can be taken, which was 4 laned till Dhupguri and then 2 laned to Telipara.

The Dankuni - Mogra - Nabadwip - Krishnanagar route

Crossing Berhampore via Swami Akhandananda Sarani Rd since Bypass wasn't completed

Fulbari Bypass ensuring complete change in route instead of Sevoke route

Finally coming to NE 2023

Most of the changes have been covered in NE 2022 above. The changes in NE 2023 were :

• Vizag Bypass is fully done except for a 500m diversion, it is a quick 30 minutes to bypass Vizag very easily.
• More sections of Tangi - Bhubaneshwar flyover work is done, there are only 2 diversions near Bhubaneshwar, which although can get jammed in evening peak hours.
• Ranital(Bhadrak) - Balasore has improved, many unmarked 6 laned sections are open, but still 4-5 major diversions pending.
• WB section from Jaleshwar to Kharagpur is now not an issue, only small 1-2 diversions, Runway is fully done.
• With more sections of 4 laning done between Kalyani More and Krishnanagar, this gave us another option in 2023, Mogra - Ishwar Setu - Kalyani Expressway - Jonepur - Kulia road - Kalyani AIIMS Road - Kalyani More - Chakdaha - Ranaghat - Krishnanagar, as an alternative compared to the 2 laned STKK road via Nabadwip.
• These two routes should be decided on the go based on traffic jam at Ranaghat and traffic at Goruranga Setu. Trucks have started taking STKK road, and it is slower than 2022 definitely. We took Ranaghat route both ways in NE 2023.
• The road till NH12 Kalyani More, is a mix of 2L + flyover work + 4/6L + village road + 4L AIIMS road.
• After Kalyani More, we are on NH12 all the way, many unmarked 4 laned sections have opened up.
• Flyover is pending at Chakdaha, which may cause small jam sometimes.
• 4kms of Ranaghat is the only painful stretch of this route, flyover work + railway gate + 2 flyover work + river bridge. It would take 20 minutes in the best case (worse can be upto our imagination, that's why STKK is still a good alternative based on traffic). There are some detours on the North to South direction through Ranaghat town to reach close to the railway gate, only few are drivable.
• After Ranaghat, many sections are majorly done, even Gobindapur Railway Flyover has opened in December, so it is quick progress to Krishnanagar. Krishnanagar Bypass is fully done too.
• Berhampore Bypass is fully done except for a small diversion (Hoogly Bridge is done only on one side). Easily saves 30 minutes.
• Raiganj Bypass is done and driveable except for a detour through narrow roads and railway gate for the pending Railway Bridge. But easily saves 20 minutes.

The new routing via Ranaghat

Berhampore Bypass completed

Raiganj Bypass can be taken with a detour

To sum up

NH16 as well as Kolkata - Siliguri has vastly improved. Out of ~560kms between Dankuni and Ghoshpukur, only 25-30kms is 2 laned or has road work via the Ranaghat route. That's 530+ kms of 4 laned roads. On the STKK route, it is ~85kms of 2 laned roads, that's still 475+ kms of 4 laned road. The key is to check the traffic conditions at Ranaghat and Goruanga Setu and decide the route.

Yes the entire WB is full of barricades, totos on road, etc ensuring the average speeds are lower than OD or AP, but it is still a huge improvement over the decade as Kolkata - Siliguri can be done in under 10 driving hours comfortably. Bhagalpurs and Dumkas are yesteryear's route.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Speed breakers defeat the basic objective of providing an obstruction-free high-speed facility, apart from being a safety hazard.

In response to an RTI, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has clarified that construction of rumblers and speed breakers has been banned on National Highways.

Nikhil Desai of Ponda, Goa, had submitted an RTI query highlighting the inconvenience caused by speed breakers to patients travelling in ambulances. 

“Keeping in mind the inconvenience to patients travelling in ambulances while erecting rumblers on national highway?”, Desai said in his RTI application dated February 21, 2023.

In response, the NHAI said, “There are no guidelines to erecting rumblers on NHs. In this regard, specific instructions have been issued to all Project Directors for removal of speed breakers from all NH stretches and ensuring patchless roads for road users (including ambulances).”

According to a 2016 circular from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, speed breakers should not be constructed on national highways as they defeat the basic objective of providing an obstruction-free high-speed facility, apart from being a safety hazard.

In 2020, the ministry reiterated that all speed breakers on National Highways would be removed, including those at toll booths.

Thanks to Nikhil Desai for sending this image in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP share page!

A 75 km stretch of continuous bituminous concrete was laid in a single lane on NH53 between Amravati and Akola.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has entered the Guinness World Records for constructing the longest piece of asphalt / bituminous concrete laid continuously.

Rajpath Infracon Pvt Ltd and Jagdish Kadam laid down a 75 km stretch of continuous bituminous concrete in a single lane on NH53 between Amravati and Akola districts in Maharashtra.

The work on the road began at 7.27 am on June 3, 2022 and was completed at 5 pm on June 7, 2022. It took 800 NHAI employees and 720 workers to complete the stretch in 105 hours and 33 minutes.

The Amravati – Akola section of the NH53 is an important east-west corridor that connects major cities like Kolkata, Raipur, Nagpur, Akole, Dhule and Surat.

The previous record was for a 27.25 km road built by the Public Works Authority, Ashghal, Qatar.

The supervisor told us the reason why such incidents are pretty common in this section of the highway.

BHPian Strider24 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

So this happened during my ongoing long road trip. While the overall experience so far has been amazing, one tyre blowout experience gave us trouble in the middle of an empty highway.

So finally after driving for nearly 20 years without a single incident, I faced the dreaded tyre blowout at high-speed on a highway.

The brick on the road comes in the video at 0.02 minutes.

Without panicking, my father stopped the car on the shoulder. I inspected the tyre and got right on to changing it. But the scorching heat at 11.35 am on our head and 42-degree temperature made sure that I was the least efficient during this process.

In the next 20 minutes, I was only able to loosen the nuts of the affected wheel and lift the car halfway on the jack. The heat was literally draining the energy out of my body. My wife was urging me to call the RSA and not do it myself and my father was waving his hand for help to the few two-wheelers he saw on the road, but they didn't stop.

Contrary to common sense, I was not ready to wait for an hour or so which is the standard response time for RSA and was continuing my efforts to change the tyre (maybe the effect of extreme heat or the typical driver's ego - how can I take help for a trivial task such as changing a tyre!)

Just when I was about to give up on my EGO, I saw a red/blue Bolero pickup truck in the distance, IT WAS THE NHAI PATROL Vehicle coming. I waved my hand and they stopped and came out of their vehicle toward us.

After narrating the incident to him, the supervisor instructed his two helpers to do the rest of the work. In the next 10 minutes, they wrapped up the tyre change scene as well as checked the underbody for any other damage caused by the brick.

The supervisor also told me how this is a very common nuisance in this section of the highway because of the following reason. When any vehicle breaks down, the driver will put stones, bricks etc on the road surrounding the vehicle. Once the vehicle recovers, the driver simply moves on without removing the stones and this causes such incidents.

He also told us that on the highway, one can dial 1033 for highway assistance, there is one patrol vehicle every 3 km for assistance.

Here are some pics of how this all went down and also the pic of the tyre where it got cut by brick

While I didn't want to write this as the first story from this epic road trip across Madhya Pradesh on its magnificent highways, sharing it asap so that people can be aware of such nuisance and know about the help available to stranded vehicles.

Details of my incident

• Road - NH39
• Place- between Chhatarpur and Jhansi, more near to Newari.
• Speed when a tyre blew- 100km/h on the speedo, 95km/h GPS speed.

Lessons learnt

• Always note down the highway assistance number (1033, or usually a mobile number displayed alongside the highway) and call them ASAP if in trouble, then call the RSA.
• I am going to keep a small hydraulic jack as well now. Never know when it could come in handy once again.
• Be ready for eventualities on long road trips. Keep calm and choose the best alternative to recover.

Hope this helps.

Further questions

I used the spare tyre and I need to replace it. I don't think the cut on this tyre can be repaired.

I had all 5 tyres of Michelin P3ST, these are not available on market anymore. Also, I am in my native town right now where there is no Michelin dealer available. The nearest is Bhopal and there too, the correct replacement is not available.

Options which I am now considering

• Buy a continental cc5 tyre which is the closest to Michelin in terms of soft compound and low rolling resistance. Use it along with the spare tyre and put them both in the rear (my spare tyre came brand new when I bought this car) and put the best 2 out of 3 Michelin tyres in the front. This was advised by the Continental dealer in Bhopal on call, and also sounds logical to me.
• I buy a locally available Bridgestone and use it along with a new spare tyre in the front and keep the front right tyre which has around 15k running back in the trunk as spare. In this option, I need recommendations as to which Bridgestone model should I choose that has a softer compound and can be paired with the new Michelin P3ST. Also, is it recommended to pair two different brand tyres on the front? Or shall I keep them in the rear?

Currently, both rear tyres have run around 22k km and are in good condition.

A quick recommendation from the above two options or maybe a better alternative is highly appreciated as I have to travel back to Pune in 10 days and I can't risk travelling 1250 km without a spare tyre.

Thanks a lot.

Here's what BHPian SS-Traveller had to say about the matter:

Tyre blowouts can be better controlled with an additional 1-second warning provided by any TPMS system. Having been through 2 blowouts while using TPMS, and 3 incidents without TPMS (luckily never lost control, but almost panicked the first time it happened - I was 22 y.o. then, and driving an Ambassador on the NH2), I can vouch for the fact that TPMS alerts you a second before the car starts to run on the rim - and that is enough for you to lift off from the A-pedal (but not brake), and grip the steering firmly with both hands to keep the car straight on the road. Also, TPMS warns early on about a tyre that is building up too much pressure or temperature, and preventive action can be taken before catastrophic tyre failure.

In short, TPMS is a must-have safety feature for every car.

Here's what BHPian redohabitat had to say about the matter:

I commend the way your dad and you behaved in a calm manner, that's rule no.1 when facing a tyre burst.

From the options that you are thinking of, I'll suggest option 1, simply because it will be the easiest on the pocket. However, connoisseurs/purists won't agree, since the best idea is to always change 4 tyres together.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

A few vehicles ran out of fuel & were pushed to the side of the road & occupants were trying to get into other vehicles.

BHPian irdevanand recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi all,

Got into a nasty traffic jam last night while returning to Chennai from Nagercoil. We crossed the last but oneth toll at 7.30 PM and the last 33 kms to my home took me 6 hours! Took a detour via Uthiramerur, etc. and then reached the last toll by 1.06 AM and reached home by 1.30.

The cause

The bridge right before the last toll was closed for traffic yesterday evening.

The 6-hour delay

You can see below from toll receipts that we crossed the Athur toll by 7.33 pm and then crossed the Paranur toll the next day at 1.06 AM.

The saving grace

Looking at the traffic pile up and the detour on Google maps, I called our office cab company and asked them for help. They sent two guys in a cab. The cab reached up to the other side of the bridge and one driver hitchhiked on a bike and crossed over to the other side of the bridge. By that time I had filled up petrol at the Uthiramerur HP bunk and waited for him. It was pure luck we refueled at that point. In that 6-hour jam, we saw a few vehicles run out of petrol and being pushed to the side of the road and occupants trying to get into other vehicles. Once our driver took over we caught some sleep and it was the only saving grace in an otherwise nasty problem.

Big big thanks to Sherman cab company and the acting driver Balaji. If you live on this side of the city (Guduvanchery area) then would recommend you to check them out for any cab needs.

The trip

My father-in-law was not well and after a lot of deliberation, we decided to bite the bullet and take the trip instead of flying or taking the train. Fewer chances of exposure. Mind you, we have not set our foot outside our apartment for nearly 2 years. My car has run around 1000 Kms or so in the last two years. Got the car serviced and then drove it from Chennai to Nagercoil and reached by 5.40 pm. The 100% FastTag tolls saved at least a couple of hours in the drive. Covid pushed the no-touch concept to 100%. That is one good thing that happened in covid, I guess. The guy who tries to scan your car with a manual scanner is gone now. We were pleasantly surprised to see we could reach home by 5.40 pm.

Though the return journey didn't go as planned, it's ok. God helped us at the right time. Now back to work after a long and much-deserved trip to my hometown after 2 years.

Here's what BHPian varunanb had to say about the matter:

It was a little better for me. Reached Mamandur Manoj Bhavan around 4 pm and by the time I reached the Paranur toll plaza, it was 8.15. Earlier that day, another bhpian was able to cross within an hour and a half. It got progressively bad to worse.

Hope the traffic eases when I next drive on the route this weekend.

Here's what BHPian searacer932 had to say about the matter:

Glad that you and your family reached home safely and you took a smart and sensible decision of calling a cab driver to assist.

However, the Palar bridge repair has been badly managed by NHAI. Surely they could have planned it better with sufficient notice to all the travelers. They have taken people for granted. I am not sure who is responsible for this mess - NHAI or the State Government. They should be taken to task.

Here's what BHPian thanixravindran had to say about the matter:

This is covered in yesterday's Times of India Newspaper. Here is the link. It seems the pain will be there for at least two months. Need to plan any travel carefully till then.

Here's what BHPian Gannu_1 had to say about the matter:

Mother of!

Dude, I cannot begin to imagine the pain you must have gone through! What a serious mess, man. Shows a total lack of planning by whoever is in charge. This route sees a heck of traffic during weekends.

I’ve shared this with some of my friends who frequently take this route. Thanks for sharing man.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Even FASTag users can use pre-paid cards for toll payment if they don't have enough balance in their tag.

According to a media report, all cash lanes at toll plazas will be converted to FASTag lanes from January 1, 2021. As an alternative to cash transactions, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will introduce pre-paid touch-and-go cards.

All the lanes at toll plazas will be dedicated FASTag lanes and all hybrid lanes will have the pre-paid card facility from January 1. Those without FASTags will have to pay double the toll amount as a penalty.

The NHAI has clarified that vehicles without FASTags will not be charged a penalty if they use pre-paid cards for toll payment. Even FASTag holders can use the pre-paid cards if they don’t have enough balance in their tag or if their tag has been blacklisted.

The pre-paid cards will be available at all national highway toll plazas. The cards can be recharged using net banking or at the point-of sales (POS) location.

From January 1, 2021, FASTags will be compulsory for all 4-wheelers irrespective of their year of manufacturing.

Source

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) plans to complete the construction of 23 new expressways and highways by March 2025.

By March 2023, four new expressways including the Delhi-Mumbai, Ahmedabad-Dholera and Amritsar-Jamnagar will be ready, while nine others will be completed by March 2024. Another nine greenfield highways will be completed by March 2025. The new highways will connect various cities across India including Surat, Solapur, Lucknow, Vishakhaptnam, Chennai, Bangalore, Vijaywada, Raipur, Kota, Kharagpur and Siliguri.

The combined length of these expressways is around 7,800 km. The project would require an investment of around Rs. 3.3 lakh crore in the next 5 years.

Instead of widening existing highways, NHAI is building brand new expressways in an attempt to ensure seamless movement of people and goods. At present, cargo vehicles cover about 400 km per day on average, which is 50% less than the global standard. With the new roads, the cost and time required to transport goods across the country could be reduced by up to 50%.

The expressways will be operated on the Toll Operate and Transfer (TOT) model. The investments will be recovered from toll collection over 15-20 years.

Source

According to a media report, all the data on National Highways Authority of India's (NHAI) servers was lost after last week's ransomware attack.

There could be various reasons that lead to the breach. It is said that weak cybersecurity infrastructure, lax monitoring and outdated legacy software were some of them.

According NHAI officials, while there was a loss of data on the servers and a breach in the hardware, they had a backup loaded on the mail server.

Following this cyber attack, CERTin, which handles computer security emergencies, has started rigorous monitoring. Meanwhile, the investigation to ascertain from where the attack originated is still ongoing.

Source

According to a media report, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will stop collecting toll across national highways during the countrywide lockdown.

The report suggests that NHAI had sought opinion from the ministry of road transport and highways regarding this. The report also states that toll collection across 530 toll plazas on national highways had halved in the past week.

The Government of India has announced a 21 day lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus, starting March 25, 2020. Transport services like rail, road and air will remain suspended during this period. However, transport of essential goods and emergency services will be exempted.

Source

According to a media report, the Madras High Court has said that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will be held accountable and will be liable to pay compensation in case of road accidents caused due to bad roads or signage.

The court also directed the NHAI to ensure that the roads are re-laid to the standards set by the Indian Roads Congress. The Division Bench was hearing a suo motu public interest litigation petition regarding the improper maintenance and bad condition of NH4.

It also suggested that the government should set up a single window agency comprising of various stakeholders to ensure that the NHAI can obtain all the required clearances from various stakeholders without any loss of time.

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