On a test drive along the 247-km Delhi-Dausa-Lalsot stretch of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway (DME), businessline team found hordes of stray cattle, dogs and selfie-seekers as also two-wheelers moving on low speed as high-speed vehicles zipped past. Traffic and security protocol are being flouted on what’s being labelled among the fastest routes in India.
Stray dogs and cattle roamed freely on the access-controlled carriageways where cars travel up to 120 km per hour. Trucks are allowed to go up to 80 km an hour. Stray animals on the way pose a danger to the high-speeding vehicles.
Although two-wheelers and three-wheelers are not permitted to ply on the DME, the businessline team encountered a number of two-wheelers on the road. That apart, several four-wheelers, in a bid to save time, were driving on the wrong side. Many villagers were found crossing the expressway for clicking pictures or to just admire the view. A few women were standing alongside just to take selfies on the carriageway.
The Delhi-Dausa-Lalsot section was opened for the public on February 15. Constructed at a cost of ₹12,150 crore, this stretch is the first phase of the 1,386-km-long expressway.
The government has mandated that slow-moving vehicles such as two-wheelers, tractors and bullock carts are not allowed to ply on the expressway. That apart, pedestrians are also not allowed on the DME. This is being done to ensure that the traffic moves swiftly on the carriageways, which will largely be utilised by trucks and heavy-load haulers.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), in a notification, said, “The movement of high-speed vehicles may pose risk to the safety of certain classes of comparatively slow-moving vehicles — two-wheelers, three-wheelers and other slow-moving vehicles like non-motorised vehicles, agricultural tractors (with or without trailers) due to their vulnerability and associated speed differentials and compromise the road safety aspects.”
Since the expressway has been inaugurated, several people have been driving on it to get a feel of the carriage, which boasts of world-class wayside amenities and a state-of-the-art automated traffic management system.
A senior official assured that all efforts are being made to check instances of traffic rule violations and vehicles will be closely monitored. Security personnel are also being deployed at entry points to ensure motorists follow the requisite norms.