Launch of Web Portal

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways launched an online Web Portal recently. The principle aim of the portal is to reduce the loss of time and equipment while transportation of goods across the country. The government at the centre is undertaking a survey of road bridges to design the present routes which would improve road network across the country. The survey is going to take approximately six months and the data collected will be uploaded on the web portal.

A.S. Ramarao from Volvo presenting his views

For the purpose of the survey, roads across the country have been divided into 18 distinct zones and have been given an independent consultant. The roads and bridges will then be designed in such a way that it could safely handle a non-hydraulic heavy vehicle with 49 tonnes of cargo. All the bridges have been designed according to the standard of Indian Road Congress. This was a necessary step as overloading and road mishaps due to overloading had been on the rise in recent times.

The Staging area of the launch

There was also a discussion on road safety by various dignitaries. The panel had many esteemed personalities including Sanjay Bandopadhyaya, Joint Secretary of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Alok Bhowmik, Member, TBGE Consortium, started the discussion by speaking on various aspects of road safety. He said that overloading, on many occasions, leads to destruction of roads. He talked about a particular kind of trailer that should be used to maximise the load and minimise road destruction. The second speaker of the day was Jean Phillippe Martin, Country Representative, Goldhofer, Germany. He talked about the hydraulic trailer design and how the design minimises the cost. He said that anything beyond 30 tonnes should be transported by hydraulic trailer, which is the case in Europe. He showed concern on the quality of roads in India and said that it significantly increases the time and cost. In other countries like USA, heavy vehicles could travel at a speed of 80-100 Kmph but in India 100-150 Kilometres is considered a good result. This should be improved if ‘Make in India’ has to succeed.

Alok Bhowmik explaining different aspects of overloading

A.S. Ramarao, Sr Vice President – Sales, Marketing & Aftermarket, Volvo Trucks India, took over by saying that his team at Volvo pays special attention to road safety. His company constituted a team which rushed to any spot in Europe where an accident took place. They used to research, understand and study the reason for the accident. The team, at the later stages, concluded that accidents are caused due to a mix of different reasons. All of these researches helped Volvo to improve their safety standards.

Jean Philippe Martin talking about dismal road condition in India

Sanjay Bandopadhaya, in the end, said that he was present there to listen to all the speakers and incorporate their ideas in the future plans of the Ministry.

The event was organised by Hydraulic Trailer Owners Association at Le Meridien Hotel in New Delhi.

Sanjay Bandopadhyaya, Joint Secretary of Ministry of Roads and Highways

Picture Credits : Neel Kamal Pandey, OneWorldNews