DEPARTMENT OF HPPWD RESPONSIBLE TO MAINTAIN MOTORABLE WIDTH OF ROADS REQUIRED FOR MAJOR DISTRICT ROAD (GHUMARWIN TO TALAI) INSTEAD OF PROVIDING RCC DIVIDER IN PLACE OF THE PAINING STRIPS, WHERE ACCIDENTS MAY CREATE PROBLEMS BECAUSE OF THE REDUCED MOTORABLE WIDTH

Hill state construction of roads based on recommended standards for the rural highways are presently reduced by the National Highway Authority of India to 5.5 metre from the old existing standard of 7.00 metres for two lane without kerbs as per the circular of the National highway authority of India issued on March 23 , 2018 keeping in view the ecological issues related to the mountainous areas of the roads for which the four lane standard of roads should also be made on the similar standards of the minimum width of the existing carriage way. On the other hand, the width of the village roads carriage way has been considered 3.00 metres and the major district roads 3.75 metres but it is not properly maintained by the department of public Works where the encroachments are forcibly used by the people and department taking no cognisance to remove such hurdles of the routine traffic and the foot paths for the use of common man even the places kept for the bus stops are too covered by the people of boundary line required right of way, where the minimum set back for building line should be 5 metre in the normal cases and 3.00 m in the exceptional circumstances and the additional land may be acquired at locations involving deep cuts, high fills and unstable or landslide areas. The full roadway width should be carried through on the culverts, scuppers and the cause ways, as per design considerations of the road curvature based on the hill roads. Keeping in view the above circular of the National highway authority of India, it is very clear that the carriage way width as restricted by the National highway authority of India there is no justification of divider for the two lane National and State Highways and only the painting strips must be provided in the central half of the two lanes instead of Reinforced concrete divider for the such use of carriage way intended for one line of traffic movement and existing in the Berthin Bazar of Ghumarwin Talai road, where as the two lane road existing in the Ghumarwin bazar has been divided by way of the painting strips in this behalf is proof and evidence on the records of the department of public Works, even thought and more over two lane 7 metre carriage way capacity has been designed for 10000 pcu for the purpose of counting road capacity and 5000 for 5.5 metre carriage way, based on IRC :52 -1981 and 70-1977 :-- Er Fateh chand Guleria, Director RTI welfare Association registered number HPCD, 3552 , Bilaspur Himachal pradesh phone number, 9459334377