The first phase of this project, called the coordinated corridor of rural development (CORD) will cover Mangalore-Karwar-Panaji (400km). The second phase will take up Honnavar-Shimoga-Bangalore (325km), Chitradurga-Solapur (400km) and Bangalore-Mangalore (360km). The Bangalore-Coimbatore (402km) line will be taken up in the third phase.
These expressways will be active carriers of wired and wireless broadband services, telemedicine counters, supply chain management, green power generation, water management models and transportation, and are being planned under the public private partnership (PPP) model of construction.
The expressways could also be fitted with mini vertical windmills or solar fencing which can generate enough energy to meet the demand required to sustain the infrastructure and also pass on the excess to the grid. Every 50km, telemedicine kiosks will be set up to call doctors for free treatment, with medicines available at attached counters. Land will be acquired for the projects, but the plan is to provide alternative livelihood to the land owners.
"We could give the land owners a shop or compensation with which they can build a commercial complex or service counters or hotels around the expressways, instead of acquiring land from them by merely giving them money. The GFEs have scope for these. Instead of creating Project Affected Families, we can create Project Benefited Families by making them stakeholders in the development of corridors and expressways," said C Kandasamy, special secretary, MORTH.
He also suggested that the GFEs should connect rural roads, state and national highways. "In Japan, GFEs have gone through hills and oceans and between fourth and fifth floors of high rises. We can create townships and smaller cities around the bigger cities along the expressways. Some traveller facilities can be self-financing and others can charge for use along the CORD roads," he added.
He also suggested that state governments can levy tourism and decongestion cess in GFEs which start from cities.
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) made it clear that toll will be collected on the road to BIA at Sadahalli, before the diversion to the airport, as the government is not funding the NHAI to develop the road. Those developing the road have to raise funds, for which they need to start collecting toll. "It was part of the structure of the road planned three years ago, and our hands are tied," said an NHAI official from Bangalore. "Commuters need to pay only while coming back from the airport. This will cost them nearly half (Rs 25)," he said.
---
Quelle/Source: The Times of India, 03.02.2012
Bitte besuchen Sie/Please visit:
