Shimla: The speed limit on four-lane highways in Himachal Pradesh will be increased from the current 60 kmph to over 70 kmph, subject to a transport department survey to ensure that higher speeds do not lead to accidents, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said in the assembly on Thursday.Highways have improved significantly in the hill state, and motorists often unwittingly cross the 60 kmph speed limit. Since most tourists are from other states, they are unaware of the speed limit and end up getting automatic challans.Last year, between Jan 1 and April 30, Himachal issued a whopping 1,28,472 overspeeding challans, a 7X increase over the 17,260 issued in the same period in 2024, with routes to Manali and Shimla accounting for the bulk of them. On May 20 last year, Himachal Pradesh high court asked for a rethink on the 60 kmph speed limit on certain stretches of Kiratpur-Manali highway.Now, govt has indicated that it acknowledges the need to raise the speed limit to cut down on challans.Sukhu criticised new central rules requiring the state to bear land acquisition costs for four-lane projects, arguing that if the state pays for land, it should be allowed to build the roads and collect toll revenue.
