STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The regional office of NHIDCL (National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd) at Guwahati has instructed its field offices to identify the vulnerable stretches on national highways and put up visible signages there spelling out the maximum speed limits of vehicles.
The development came close on the heels of a meeting of the NHIDCL with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma recently.
NHIDCL, Guwahati Executive Director Pankaj Singh said, "We had a meeting with honourable Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma recently. Top officials of the NHAI (National Highway Authority of India) and top officials of the State Transport Department were also present at the meeting. The meeting discussed that at some national highway stretches, signages for vehicle speed limits are not visible. The honourable Chief Minister instructed us to put up visible signages that spell out varying vehicle speed limits in all such vulnerable NH stretches. Following this instruction, we have also instructed all our field offices to put up signages for the vehicle speed limit. We have also asked our field offices to take into account schools, hospitals, markets, turnings, hills etc. while putting up the signages."
The maximum vehicle speed limits at various stretches on national highways vary from 40 km-100 km per hour.
Meanwhile, State Transport Commissioner Adil Khan said, "Since the people of Assam are not aware of maximum speed limits, it behoves us to carry out awareness drive on this. We need to make people aware that they should not exceed the maximum speed limits on highways.
"Following a directive from the Chief Minister, we have put on hold charging fines from drivers for violating the maximum speed limits on highways for two months."
According to the amended MV Act, the minimum fine for violation of speed limits on national highways is Rs 2,000. That State Transport Department has some interceptors that catch speed limit violators at various locations on a national highway.
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