A Review of Highway Agencies in the South Asia Region

A Review of Highway Agencies in the South Asia Region
improved safety for the people;
Adequately meet the demand for transport of passengers and freight while considering
the current and expected demand; and
Improve the quality of roads by using cost-effective and innovative techniques of design,
construction, maintenance and rehabilitation.
A review financed by the World Bank 10 finds that:
Specific application of these policies in project formulation or in investment planning
cannot be observed at present. The budgetary process also does not include
assessment of objectives or outcomes of proposed projects in order to determine the
degree of subscription of a project for which funding is sought, to these policies.
A comparison between achievement and objectives is not possible. The success of the policy
and supporting plans cannot be assessed, since this performance is also not published. Only
one of the two provincial highway agencies has a road policy in place; and in this case too it
is not possible to compare achievement and objectives.
2.3 Regulatory and Institutional Framework
South Asia in General
Typical elements of the regulatory and institutional framework governing highway agencies
are acts and rules for the regulation of road pricing (tolling, in 70 percent of cases), private
sector participation (30 percent of cases), and the establishment of road funds, agencies,
boards or authorities. Regulation on road safety has also started to emerge as a significant
element, though in a limited manner. However, it should be kept in mind that the presence
of an act or rule does not indicate its quality, or the level of its implementation.
In South Asia, most highway agencies operate in relatively close association with the
parent ministry; 92 percent of the agencies indicated their department was a government
department directly accountable to the minister. Only 8 percent indicated that their
organization was a public entity with a higher degree of autonomy. Only a few highway
agencies actually operate with some degree of independence from the parent ministry.
The parent ministry provides guidance for their activities through a policy outline. In about
50 percent of the cases studied in India, independent RDCs have been established in the
states. Independent national authorities and agencies have also been established in India
and Pakistan, which are essentially entrusted with the implementation of large highway
programs.
Issues such as budget allocation and appointment of senior officials are controlled by the
oversight ministry, despite some internal delegation of responsibilities and powers. This is
clearly shown in Figure 2.5, where the legislature and the governor are authorized to decide
on the position of the executive management. The decision to upgrade a road from one
category to the next is, in all but one case, made by considering the traffic density of that
road. In case of the one exception, the reason for upgrading a road to a higher category is
‘government discretion.’
Although the mandate of all organizations is usually defined, there is ample room for further
clarification. Respondents indicated significant overlap in responsibilities between highway
agencies in one state; this however is not the case for national agencies. Table 2.3 shows the
overlap in responsibilities of organizations responsible for a given road network. However,
implementation, in some cases, is the responsibility of RDCs and daily management of
certain individual road sections that of the private concessionaire, where applicable.
10 Capacity and Functional Review of Highway Agencies in Sri Lanka, Pradeepa Jayaratne (2009).
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