The policy requires common ducts to be integrated into the design of new roads and provides for phased retrofitting of high-traffic existing roads. It also introduces single-window Right of Way clearances, cost-sharing arrangements among utility providers and digital asset mapping through the Call Before You Dig platform.
The government said the framework is intended to prevent repeated excavation of completed roads by different agencies installing or repairing separate utility lines. Shared conduits, ducts and cable pathways can accommodate electricity cables, telecom and fibre lines, water pipes, gas pipelines and sewage systems within a unified underground structure.
The arrangement is also expected to reduce capital and operational expenditure by allowing providers to share civil works and infrastructure. It provides for access to shared ducts on a transparent, non-exclusive and non-discriminatory basis, allowing multiple service providers to use the corridors under common rules.
The policy is aimed at reducing traffic disruption, dust, noise and roadside accidents associated with trenching. It also seeks to limit visual clutter caused by overhead wires and poles, support cleaner cityscapes and improve long-term urban planning for residential, industrial and housing projects across the union territory.