Hyderabad: Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday launched ‘Humsafar Policy’ in New Delhi to enhance convenience of travelling on National Highways (NHs) and accelerate development of the wayside amenities.
Speaking on the occasion, Gadkari said local marginal sections of the society will benefit from this initiative. He underscored that this scheme will help in the facilitation of smooth, safe and pleasant journeys for users. It will be environment friendly and has been prepared keeping the ecology and cleanliness in perspective.
He also said that water conservation, soil conservation, waste recycling, solar energy etc have been kept in mind while formulating this policy. Gadkari asked the officials of the ministry to ensure quality service to the passengers through this policy.
A number of green highways of NHAI have been planned with keeping several amenities in the perspectives, he further added. He called upon petrol pump owners alongside NHs to ensure basic amenities at the petrol pump as per norms. He also said that food court, cafeteria, fuel station, electric vehicle charging station, parking facilities, toilets, baby care room, ATM, vehicle repair shop, pharmacy services under this policy will ensure better experience for NH users.
The policy aims to provide a comprehensive framework to ensure that the commuters have access to standardized, well-maintained, and hygienic facilities by onboarding both existing and upcoming service providers along NHs and expressways.
Existing and upcoming service providers under the categories of eateries, fuel stations and trauma centres will be eligible to register under the Humsafar Policy. The policy aims to benefit all stakeholders. registered service providers will benefit from waiver of fees for renewal for existing access permission and will be provided space on NHs to put up signages of their establishment to increase visibility.
In addition, the service providers will be featured on NHAI ‘Rajmarg Yatra’, a mobile app to boost their online visibility. The ‘Humsafar’ policy will also benefit commuters by enabling access to standardized, well maintained and hygienic facilities.
Commuters will be able to find details of relevant service providers near their location instantly on the ‘Rajmarg Yatra’ app. The app will also empower commuters to report issues and rate the service provided and facilities. Registered service providers will be able to avail a waiver of renewal fees for access permissions, if they maintain an average rating of three or higher.
The policy also outlines rigorous provisions for ‘Monitoring and Inspection’ of the registered service providers for maintaining the standard of the facilities and ensuring quality services to the commuters. Regular inspections will be conducted by a third-party agency appointed by the authority.
Email/ SMS alerts shall be sent to service providers in case their ratings fall below average of 3-stars and more frequent inspections will be carried out on such facilities with low scores. The ‘Humsafar Policy’ will go a long way in establishing world-class services along the NHs by standardizing high-quality facilities for commuters and enhancing the overall travel experience of the NH users.
