The ministry of road transport and highways will seek expert advice and technical guidance from IIT professors on new areas of development in the sector as well as scientific solutions to practical problems arising in highway construction and maintenance.
The ministry has entered into a memorandum of understanding with IIT Roorkee, IIT BHU, IIT Madras and Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Anantpur to appoint chair professors in these institutes, it said in a notification.
According to the notification, the chair professor will act as a strategic advisor to the ministry in new areas relevant to the road transport and highways.
Besides, they will be expected to provide technical guidance to MoRTH in any areas related to ‘traffic and highway engineering’, research schemes and any other issues related to highway projects, and also help find solutions to the practical problems of highways through scientific research.
The ministry has directed its field officers to henceforth direct all practical field problems encountered in implementation of national highway projects to these institutes to seek expert advice from the appointed chair professors.
The chair professors will also be expected to catalyse innovation, research and development in in highway sector and disseminate technological upgradation in planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance of national highways in the country.
Following the Silkyara tunnel mishap in Uttarakhand last month, the government has undertaken a multi pronged approach to ensure safety and security of workers involved in highways construction.
It has undertaken audits of two dozen under construction tunnels in the country and set up a dedicated audit team at different IITs and a tunneling institute under IIT Delhi to research and propose enhanced safety measures for tunnels, benchmarked to international levels.
On November 12, a portion of the tunnel under construction between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri national highway collapsed, leaving 41 workers trapped.All 41 workers were rescued safely after 17 days following collaboration between National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL), Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), the Tehri Hydroelectric Development Corporation (THDC), the Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (SJVN), ONGC and the Border Roads Organisation.