India’s very own North-South Corridor, the National Highway 44 is a mega project merging seven other smaller national highways. Extending from the northern-most Jammu and Kashmir to the southern tip of Kanyakumari in the state of Tamil Nadu, the road is stretched over 3,806 km and covers 12 states, namely – the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, the capital city Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu – from north to south.
Importance of Roadways and the Corridors
National Highway Project NH-44 is of strategic and economic importance as it provides year-long connectivity to the Jammu to the Kashmir valley, reduces travel time to border areas, and facilitates the implementations of several developmental projects involving infrastructure and tourism in the regions. Roads are one of the basic infrastructures that lead to the development and it should be on the government’s agenda to make, upgrade and maintain them. The country’s automobile industry has also seen significant profits and is on the rise owing to the rapid upgradation of both state and national roadways.
In 1988, the ambitious project of the Golden Quadrilateral – a series of national highways to connect the major metropolitan cities of Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Chennai was undertaken. Following this, further plans were elaborated to upgrade all old and smaller highways. Emerging from this was the idea to build the North-South corridor and the East-West corridor, connecting the geographic extremes – the country’s northern tip to the southernmost point and the Western city to the North-East. All the highways were further developed to six and eight-lane drives.
NHAI and Environmental Concerns
India has the second-largest road network in the world spanning over an estimated 5.89 million kilometers that is responsible for 64.5 percent of trade transport and 90 percent of commuters and passenger traffic. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is the central body that maintains the national highways and other road networks. However, in recent times activists and environmental bodies have slammed the NHAI for disturbing the ecological balance in lieu of constructing huge road projects spanning several states. Though the environmental aspects are one of significance, increasing ease of connectivity is also necessary given the needs of the time. The only path ahead is a development that balances both the need for structures with the sustainability of life and ecology.
