Two of the 183 wayside amenity centres proposed along the National Highway (NH) corridors in the country by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to make highway travel more convenient to people will come up at Vattapara, near Walayar, in Palakkad district.
Part of the network of such centres being planned every 50 km of NH corridors by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the ‘safe stopping points’ will have helipads for shifting the sick and injured during medical emergencies and for disaster relief.
A Type I co-located facility for passengers and heavy vehicle drivers will come up on 2.44 hectares acquired at Puduserry East village on the Walayar-Vadakkanchery section of NH-544. A Type II facility, exclusively for passengers, will come up on 0.98 hectares at Puduserry East Village. No site had been selected from the State for Type III facility targeting truck drivers.
As many as 28 amenities such as food court, dhaba, branded food outlets, toilets, restrooms, drinking water, separate parking for cars, buses and trucks, rooms for short-stay of passengers, dormitory for truckers, fuel station, and minor workshops to take care of repairs of vehicles driving into helipads will be provided at these centres.
Village Haats
Besides, it will have Village Haats for local specialities and kiosks for sundry items. These centres are also aimed at reducing road accidents, especially driver-fatigue-related incidents, generating employment for local artisans and craftsmen, reducing theft along NHs, and evacuation during disaster relief and medical emergencies.
The facilities in an area of more than five acres of land will be developed under the brand name ‘Highway Village’ and those in less than five acres, ‘Highway Nest’.
A franchise model of 10-year duration — which can be extended to another five years based on performance — is to be adopted for running the facilities. The franchisee will develop the facilities as per the green designs of the NHAI.
The NHAI has developed customisable proto-types of these facilities. The site should be 5 km from a toll plaza, minimum 5 km from the municipal limits, and only 30% should be the covered area. The franchisee will be assisted in getting free-access permission to the facility, assistance in land use conversion along with co-branding, logo and signage, and will be required to sign a service-level agreement.
Sources said the Expression of Interest will be opened on September 21 at the regional offices of the NHAI and the Letter of Intent will be issued in October. Of the 1,000 centres being planned, the NHAI has land for 200 centres, and the remaining are to be developed with private participation.
