NEW DELHI: Lack of mobile network coverage on highway and expressway stretches is not only causing inconvenience to commuters but is also a concern for NHAI as gaps in mobile connectivity affect emergency communication with emergency responders – such as emergency services and patrol cars – in the event of an incident.In view of this, NHAI has asked telecom regulator TRAI to direct operators to improve mobile network connectivity on these stretches. The authority has identified 424 such ‘telecom blackspots’ spread over an area of around 1,750 km and shared them with TRAI.TOI has learned that NHAI chairman Satosh Kumar Yadav, in a letter to TRAI chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti, pointed out that no mobile network negatively impacts highway operations, coordination with field units and law enforcement agencies.Officials said missing mobile networks were more common on highways and greenfield expressways as well as on remote stretches, including stretches of the Delhi-Mumbai and Bengaluru-Chennai expressways. For example, the data shared with TRAI mentions that three stretches of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway passing through Ratlam (around 69 km) have no mobile network. Similarly, the entire 51 km stretch between Harda and Betul in Madhya Pradesh has no network.The list of missing mobile networks includes nearly 15 km of the Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway, 17 km of the Tambaram-Tindivanam section in Tennessee, 11.8 km of the Warangal-Khammam section in Andhra and 10.8 km of the Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway in Thane.NHAI has also identified around 1,665 accident-prone locations due to stray cattle movement across NHs and expressways. Officials said they have also taken up this with TRAI and proposed proactive SMS and flash SMS alerts for geo-mapped accident-prone zones, including routes affected by stray cattle movements and other hazards.“Alerts are expected to reach users about 15 minutes in advance when they approach such places. NHAI has asked TRAI to issue directions to telecom operators to enable these alerts free of charge, solely in the interest of safety of road users. This will save several lives,” an official said.
