Question

Who maintains the state highways?
A. Central government
B. NHAI
C. State government
D. Zilla Panchayat

Answer 1

Hint: On the basis of responsibility of management, the roads are classified mainly in three groups – National Highways, State highways, and Border Roads. Given India's federal structure, we have different government authorities responsible for laying and maintaining the roads.

Complete step by step answer:
National Highways are the roads that connect different states of a country. The proportion of national highways in India is around 3 percent of the total road network of the country. Most of the national highways are two-lane with bypasses built along the lanes. The union or central government is responsible for maintaining the national highways of the country through the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. So, option (A) is incorrect
The nodal agency of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) with its headquarter in New Delhi. It is primarily responsible for the management of national highways which is a network of around 50, 000 km. So, option (B) is incorrect. State highways are the roads that mainly connect important cities, towns, and headquarters of the districts of the state. The state highways are maintained by the respective states or union territories through their public works department (PWD).
Zilla Panchayats have the role of maintaining the road infrastructure of the area under the jurisdiction of the respective Panchayats. So, option (D) is incorrect.
So, the correct answer is Option C.

Note: All the federal units of the country India are assigned the tasks of undertaking projects for laying down the roads, building, protecting, and maintaining them. The roads are broadly classified on the basis of the degree of connectedness the roads are built for.