Soon,a call centre to help out commuters stuck on highways

The call centre will function around-the-clock and people can approach it by dialing a universal toll-free number that the NHAI will announce very soon. Any person from across the country can register a complaint about road maintenance or call for emergency services in case of an accident.

“The call centre will be based at NHAI headquarters in New Delhi. Even if a vehicle breaks down,the person can call the centre,” said Ashutosh Gautam,General Manager of NHAI,Lucknow.

“If a vehicle has broken down on the highway,crane service can be provided to carry it to the nearest service station or the mechanic shop,” he added.

“The call centre will forward the details of the caller and his grievance to the toll plaza nearest to his location. The toll plaza will help the caller,” said H C Arora,NHAI Chief General Manager of Uttar Pradesh,Uttarakhand,Bihar and Jharkhand.

In Uttar Pradesh,16 stretches are complete and open for traffic. “When the call centre starts functioning,commuters can call the helpline number from these stretches,including Lucknow-Kanpur,Lucknow-Faizabad and Lucknow-Sitapur,” said Gautam.

“Currently,ambulance service is available on highways in almost all the states. But due to the delay in getting information,we cannot save the lives of accident victims all the time. The call centre will solve this problem,” said another NHAI official.