The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Meet on highway toll policy soon

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 22, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Meet on highway toll policy soon

Staff Reporter

Centre will launch an ambitious road connectivity project: K.H. Muniyappa

BANGALORE: Union Minister of State for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways K.H. Muniyappa said on Sunday that he will convene a meeting of Transport Ministers of all States soon to come up with a uniform policy on highway toll.

He will invite representatives of truck operators to a meeting on issues such as illegal loading and insurance premium. Speaking at the south zone conference of truck owners here, Mr. Muniyappa said the Centre is implementing several projects for modernisation of road transport.

It will soon embark on an ambitious project of road connectivity of 35,000 km by 2012 at a cost of Rs. 1,72,000 crores, he said.

The Centre is moving ahead with the Golden Quadrilateral Project to build 5,846 km of roads and 7,300 km of corridors connecting the main highways and the backwood areas.

Another 10,000 km of roads will be improved for port connectivity, he said.

Road safety is another major concern that the Government is seeking to address and his Ministry is holding talks with the Health Ministry to have accident and trauma care centres at every 50 km on highways and hospitals at every 100 km, Mr. Muniyappa said.

In his keynote address, Channa Reddy, President of the All-India Confederation of Goods Vehicle Owners' Association (ACOGOA), highlighted the demands of truckers.

Mr. Reddy said that most State Governments are "gleefully" flouting the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, which has fixed axle load and gross vehicle weight limits.

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