It was not uncommon to find friends, acquaintances and family bemoaning the past year and yearning for a better year. 'Ringing out the old and ringing in the new' is the theme for a New Year's Eve. This year I felt that emotion more drastically with most people. They just wanted to forget and shed 2020, as if a plague. Undoubtedly, the past year had been disastrous in many ways, beginning with the pandemic and continuing with its aftermath. But, it was also a year that taught us many things. To me, it was to value what I have rather than what I have not. Every year, every month, every day, every moment has something for all of us. If only we care to appreciate it. Today is the beginning of a new year, a year founded on hopes and aspirations, built essentially around my family.
Davengere to Chennai is around 620 km. Except for a few diversions, where six laning work is yet to be completed, the condition of the highway was pretty decent. NHAI is certainly getting infrastructure built in PPP mode. However, with road tax, fuel cess and such extractions from citizens I wonder why the government further realises tolls. While the Fastag has certainly improved transit through toll gates I have a few suggestions.
1. Toll must not be operational unless the entire facility as per contract has been constructed.
2. Toll must be suspended when there is repair and maintenance or there is breach of the construction and maintenance contract.
3. There should be no exemptions. Every user should be made to pay. People waving id cards and pamphlets and those having G marker on number plates must also be asked to pay.
4. Toll gates where scanners do not work must be told to pay fines as they delay the transit of users just as a faulty Fastag user is.
5. Lines must be drawn in each lane for vehicles to stop or slow at appropriate place so that the scanning is proper.
6. All Fastag lanes must be unmanned and should be automatic
7. Every toll booth must indicate the kilometrage for which the toll is being realised, the cost of construction and the period when the highway will become free.
While four laning and six laning of highways have certainly improved driving comfort the misuse of lanes have also increased. There are signages intermittently directing slow moving traffic to use the left most lane. This is never observed. I have experienced that the left most lane is the virtual fast lane. The indiscipline of slow moving vehicles makes weaving skills an essential accessory of every passenger car driver. The highway patrol cars, instead of 'lounging' in some shade, must be deployed to check this kind of irresponsible driving. Spot fines must be levied and licenses must be revoked after three violations. Similarly, drones must be used effectively to detect the tyranny imposed by slow moving vehicles. Road worthiness of cargo trucks and trailers to use highways and ghats must be checked periodically and certified like PUC. Availability of rear lights and use of indicators to switch lanes must be enforced.
When I drove into the House of Hiranandani complex in Siruseri, Chennai at 3.30 pm it signaled the end of a 14 day thriller spanning 5700 km. During the drive I had chewed the cud on many road trip options for this year and the next. The HAPPY NEW YEAR had started AND it was now time for CHEERS TO ALL with a glass in hand.
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