On March 4, 2020,The central Government has aimed to replace all the level crossings on National Highways (NH) by Road Over Bridges / Road Under Bridges under the Setu Bharatam scheme, which is being implemented by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways with an aim to ensure safe and smooth flow of traffic and decrease road fatalities by 50 % by 2020.
Key Points:
i.Setu Bharatam scheme: It was launched by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on March 4, 2016 to make all national highways free of railway crossings in order to prevent the frequent accidents and loss of lives at level crossings.
ii.Objectives: Some of the major objectives of the Setu Bharatam Project were:
The government had identified about 208 Railway crossings,which will be done away with and replaced by Rail Over Bridges (ROBs) at an estimated cost of Rs. 10,200 crore.
Under this,1500 bridges of the British era (over 50 to 60 years)will be overhauled across India.
iii.Ministry of Road Transport also set up an Indian Bridge Management System (IBMS) at the Indian Academy for Highway Engineer in Noida,Uttar Pradesh (UP) to conduct surveys and inventions of all the bridges on the NHs via mobile inspection units.
iv.Feature: Infrastructure plays a pivotal role in the development of any country and India is no exception. unmanned railway crossings are a key cause of rail accidents in India, with such accidents being more frequent in rural areas. Hence the government aimed to eliminate of all such crossings targeted before the end of 2020.
About Ministry for Road Transport & Highways:
Headquarters-Â New Delhi
Union Minister– Nitin Jairam Gadkari
