Road Network in Rajasthan - RajRAS | RAS Exam Preparation

Road Infrastructure development plays an important role in social and economic development. Road network is necessary for agriculture, commerce, safety, education and social welfare to take place. On 31 March 1951, Rajasthan had a road network of 17339 Kms and it grew to 2,64,244 Kms till March 2019.

Important Facts to remember regarding Road Network in Rajasthan:

Maximum length of roads is in Jodhpur district while minimum length is in Dholpur district.
The longest Highway in state is NH-15 of length 878.3 Km and smallest is 71B of 5 Km length.
After Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan (3rd) has the highest length of National Highways.
As on March 2019, the road density of the state was 77.21 km per 100 sq. km.
Rajasthan has 12 Regional Transport Offices (RTO) & 39 District Transport Offices (DTO’s).

Policy: Rajasthan Road Development Policy

Rajasthan was the first state in the country to announce a State Road Policy (1994), facilitating the entry of private enterprise in the Roads Sector.
The policy laid emphasis on connecting places of religious and tourism significance and railway stations.
It also aimed at constructing roads in mining areas on toll-tax basis.
The policy also laid stress on road-research, maintenance and broadening.

Organisations involved with development of Roads in State:

Rajasthan State Road Development & Construction Corporation Limited (RSRDCC)
- Established in the year 1979.(as RSBCC) in 2001 name changed to RSRDCC.
- 100% Govt. of Rajasthan Enterprise, established under Companies Act 1956.
- Apart from Road, bridges construction the company has executed about 80 Building projects in the Institutional, Industrial, Commercial and Residential sectors.
National Highway Authority of India (NHAI)
- Constituted by an act of Parliament, the National Highways Authority of India Act,1988.
- Responsible for the development, maintenance and management of National Highways entrusted to it.
Public Works Department (PWD)
- The department is mainly entrusted with construction and maintenance of Roads, Bridges and Govt. buildings.
- Total road length being maintained by the department is more than 201064 KM.
Rajasthan Road Structure Development Company (RIDCOR)
- RIDCOR is a public limited company constituted as 50:50 joint initiatives of Government of Rajasthan and Infrastructure Leasing & Finance Services Ltd.
- GoR embarked on a plan in 2005 to create superior road infrastructure and initiated ‘Mega Highways Project’. RIDCOR is a part of this project.