Setu Bharatam Scheme- An Overview

Setu Bharatam scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 4th March 2016. It was an initiative to make all national highways free of various railway crossings y 2019. The allotted budget for the project was Rs. 102 billion, which was to be used for the construction of around 208 rail over and under bridges.

What is Setu Bharatam Scheme?

Setu Bharatam scheme was launched with the focus towards the importance of road safety. The initiative aims at developing stronger infrastructure with proper planning and implementation. This project will be aiming at constructing new bridges along with the renovation of the old and unsafe ones.

Under the project, Indian Bridge Management System (IBMS) was established under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways at the Indian Academy for Highway Engineer in Noida. The project will conduct surveys of all bridges on national highways through inspection units. Around 11 firms were set up for the purpose and around 50,000 bridges were successfully invented.

Bridges Identified under Setu Bharatam Scheme

Total of 19 states has been under the radar of the government.

Following are the number of bridges identified-

The Objective of Setu Bharat Yojana

The project was an initiative towards making the national highways free from the railway crossing. Some of the major objectives were:

1. Nationwide focus

The project focused on the nationwide national highways. The construction of bridges for national highways across the country was a primary objective.

2. Railway track bridges

The project aimed at the construction of around 280 under and over railway tracks bridges across the country. Various states were covered with the help of the team set-up for the purpose.

3. Space technology

The project aimed at using scientific techniques like age, distance, longitude, latitude material and design among others for the successful construction of bridges. The technology has proven to be useful while mapping and construction of new bridges.

4. Bridge mapping

While launching the project in 2016, PM Modi said that 1,50,000 bridges across the country would be mapped under the Indian Bridge Management System. Since then the project has been touring states for the purpose.

5. Ease of travel

Having bridges will reduce traffic issues. It will give more space for passengers to drive.

6. Safe travel

Having safe railways and national highway bridges will also bring a sense of protection in the passengers. Highways and railway tracks are usually the places of accidents. Construction of bridges will help solve this problem.

7. Improving quality

One of the major objectives of the project was the improvement of the quality of the bridges. Low-quality bridges were causing a number of accidents.

8. Grading bridges

The scheme allowed the set up of a team who was assigned to check the quality of bridges and grade them. The lower the quality the more attention towards upgrading the bridge.

Latest News

As of March 2020, more than 50% of road casualties had seen a reduction due to the implementation of the scheme.

Conclusion

Setu Bharatam Scheme has seen a positive response in the country’s infrastructure. Road fatalities have reduced as compared to what it was before. Hopefully, this can be expected for years to come with the help of the government and the citizens.