NOW THIS might come as a respite for the commuters on the Noida Expressway as according to media reports, the highway would be handed over to Jaypee group, which has suggested installing CCTV cameras besides the speed monitors to keep a check on the errant drivers. The expressway is notorious for its accident rate, late night racing by motorcycle drivers, and drunk driving. There is very little patrolling on the expressway.

According to The Times of India, the maintenance and management of the 24.5 km long expressway will be handed over to the reputed group in the coming months. Though the ride on the highway would no longer be free as a toll plaza would be built before you enter the stretch but commuters wouldn’t mind it, given the fear of accidents.

Once they take over the expressway, one believes that the number of accidents would be brought down significantly and that precious human lives will be saved. Currently, the Noida Expressway has six lanes and if all goes according to plan, it would be widened to eight lanes.

When one talks about accidents, how can we forget the crash scene that happened in December last year, when 22 cars crashed into each other due to foggy conditions. Though no one died in the mishap cars were damaged, incurring heavy losses to the owners. The chain reaction started after a Zen-Estilo car rammed into a stationery truck.

According to police records, at least one such pile up is witnessed every winter due to dense fog and limited visibility. In January 2012, 17 cars had rammed into each other in a similar accident but this time seven people were critically injured, according to The Times of India.

Though fog will be a worrying factor, even for the Jaypee group, but they can think of better measure to tackle the issue. They have the expertise and they can follow models adopted by developed countries to take on foggy conditions and poor visibility.