Protests and Dharnas

 

It saddens me when people go about damaging public and private property in the name of protest, demonstration, dharna,   Rasta roko,   chakka jam, etc. Not only they damage the property but inconvenience a number of people, who may be going to office, work, meeting or even taking a sick patient to the hospital. This not only results in a loss of man hours but a loss to the nation as such just because some people did not like a thing or some political party wanted to set the score right. But do they have any concern for the common man, who earns his daily living and if he does not work then his family will go hungry. Sadly these demonstrations do not serve any purpose for the common man but only causes trouble for them and leave the road or place in a bad condition and dirty with pieces of glass, discarded flags and sometimes even national flag, not to mention the pamphlets, polythene bags, paper cups/ glasses and even used water bottles.  Do these people have a right to inconvenience people cause a loss to exchequer and make places dirty. Sadly no, but they do so because they are convinced that general public will not protest and they will be protected by their political bosses or they will simply get away because the administration or police will not take action against them. Even by any chance if they are arrested due to some video footage then they will be released immediately due to political pressure and some might even get posts in the organization or may even get tickets to fight election and may even sit in assemblies or parliament to pass legislation or become part of executive. It is too big an award to pass by and they put on their best or make all-out effort to make these protests a huge success.

The real reason of these protests is known to their bosses and these are the very people who hide behind masks and curtains so that their image remains intact. It is because their bosses think that they do  not like a scene in the film or the song or they are likely to be arrested for a scam committed by them in the past or by misusing their newly found powers. I am not referring here to the demonstrations organized by the persons in protest against some wrong done to them in a peaceful manner without inconveniencing other persons, the demonstration against Nirbhaya and Jessica Lal murder. But sadly these are the people who are lathi charged or bombarded by tear gas shells and are bundled off in buses to detention centers and maybe even cases lodged against them, just because they have no political boss or they are not under the protection of some so called big shot. What justice is this when peaceful persons are lathi charged, but the culprits who damage property, burn buses are allowed to go free.  It speaks volume about the political and administrative mess we are in and will continue to be in it as long as the police and administration continue to serve their political bosses.

Every person has a right to protest against the injustice done to him or to any other person or in general against the society, religion, traditions, customs or nation as such, whether actual or perceived, but the right comes with certain obligation on the part of individual.  We are very prompt to either say or point out the right but either we do not know or we conveniently choose to feign ignorance about these obligations.  Inherent in these obligations is the concept of accountability. This accountability of the right lies in the realm of the administration to enforce, in case the individual forgets it or feign ignorance. This is where the administration fails miserably and is guided by the concept of self-preservation   rather than public good. Ignorance of law or obligations are no excuse and the person deserves punishment if he damages public or private property or inconveniences general public. There are enough judgments by various high court and Supreme Court where they have declared such protest, dharnas, Rasta rook, etc as illegal. Two high court among others, who have declared them illegal and banned them including imposing fine on parties which organized them are Kerala and West Bengal high court. But sadly these are the two states where majority of these things happen and people take to streets at the slightest provocation but choose to keep quite on the big issues like rape, molestation, scams, etc. Worst either the administration and police are part of it or they conveniently choose to look the other way either on their own or due to pressure or orders.

Now with the intelligent use of technology and the presence of media at such events it will be possible to identify and have proof against such elements who go around causing destruction to public/private property, damaging buses and organize chakka jam or rasta or rail rook agitations. What is now required is to take legal action against them irrespective of who they are or what position they are holding and give them the maximum possible punishment. They should be sent to jail to serve their sentences at state which are far off from their parent states or where the agitation took place and impose fine on to recover the cost of the damages they have done.  These are the people who should not be allowed to stand for any election to a public post and the political parties should also ensure that they do not get any part in their organizational set up. Unless a strong deterrence is created to stop occurrence of these activities the damages or inconveniencing the public will go on unabated. These are sufficient laws and decisions by the judiciary in this regard and what is only required is a strong will power and action on behalf of the administration and police to strongly imposed these laws and decisions. Besides this it is equally important to give strong support to those people who take action, so that they are not harmed /penalized for their rightful duties by their bosses or political parties.

Madhya Pradesh Tourist Development Corporation Hotels

                     Madhya Pradesh Tourist Development Corporation  Hotels

MP state tourist Development Corporation runs a number of hotels in various places in MP. We had an opportunity to stay in some of them during our 18 day long trip to Madhya Pradesh. These hotels are reasonable, good location and a very good staff to look after you. Check in time in all the hotels is at 1200 hrs and check out also at the same time You can book these hotels after registration on line also and carry the confirmation of payment slip with you. Complimentary breakfast is standard in all hotels except where all meals are provided as in case of Tawa Resorts and the hotels in Pench and Kanha national parks. In the breakfast two items besides tea and coffee is served and the quantity fills your stomach. In most of the cases we had to skip lunch as the breakfast became too heavy and it is especially useful when you are out for the whole day visiting places and returning back in the evening only. All the hotels have ample secure parking spaces for the guests. We had booked all our hotels at the Hotel Janpath office of the MPTDC in New Delhi, where they gave an extra discount of 10% over and above the online which resulted in substantial saving. 

Narmada  Resorts  Omkareshwar.

The hotel is located on the hill top with reasonable accommodation and an excellent view of the Narmada  River,  Omkareswar Dam and the island of Omkareshwar.  Being located on the hill top one has to walk down a steep descent to reach the hanging bridge to cross Narmada to reach the island and the shiv temple.  Alternatively you can take the longer 1.5 km road via the bus stand to reach the bridge. You can also take a boat to cross over and a boat ride in Narmada to visit all the spots. You can also take a boat to take you around the island where at two places you have to get down and join the boat about 50 meters ahead due to strong current from the turbines on Kaveri River. The dam is built on the meeting point of Kaveri and Narmada River. You can also go to the dam and see the reservoir. The breakfast next day was good standard Indian and really filled our stomach. They have enough parking too have a secure parking for about 20 cars. A new building has also come up to increase the capacity of the hotel.

Narmada Resorts at Maheshwar.

The hotel is located on the banks of the Narmada river and if you opt for swiss  tents  then  besides staying on the banks you also get a beautiful view of the river and the ghats . You can take the steps to go down to the river and sit there to watch the sunrise and sun set and the beautiful view of the river. It is a place from where you can see both sitting at the same place. Both were really beautiful and mesmerizing. Right in front of you in the middle of a river is a small temple. You can also take a motor boat ride to go to fort build by Ahilyabai and get down there to see the fort and resume your cruise. Take the boat to the temple and back again to the ghats of the resort. You can also opt for breakfast by the ghats in the morning by extra payment and prior information. The road from the state highway to the resort was about 2 km and was bad but was being repaired. The worst experience we had was that of loud music being played by some students from Mumbai till well past midnight in the party and the manager on duty did not heed to our request of not playing loud music after 2200 hrs.  It was the only hotel of MPTDC where we were served only on dish for breakfast as compared to two at all other hotels.  It was the only hotel in MP tourism where we had problems and an uncooperative staff. The GM Marketing of MPSTDC has promised to sort it out and put a stop to it after our complaint. In Our journey this was the only hotel where we were disappointed.

Tawa Resorts at Tawa.

Located on the banks of the Tawa reservoir and the Dam and approachable by a 22 km of jungle road the resort was a treat to the eyes. You can opt for cottages which are away from the reservoir or the suits which overlook the reservoir. We opted for the cottages. This was one of the hotels, where all meals are included in the tariff and rightly so as there is nothing nearby except for the Tawa town of the dam personnel and some small shops. We reached late at about 1530 hrs due to the bad road and traffic while crossing Itarasi but were pleasantly surprised when we were told that they can give us lunch after 15 minutes. The view from the garden and step was simply beautiful and the sunrise in the morning divine. The resort was very good and worth staying for a few days if one wants a peaceful life with nature and to pursue his hobby or passion. The staff made it even better by their welcome attitude. We also took a boat ride around the reservoir and the islands. You can also take the cruise from the resort to Madai, the official entry point to Satpura national park and start of jungle safari. The breakfast next day morning was good and heavy. The best thing about this hotel besides location is the staff and their excellent attitude and are always ready to help you. They even helped us to get the permission to cross the dam and enter Satpura national park next day. The wi-fi was free and helped us to upload pictures of resort and reservoir on the social website and check mails.  In the other two hotels before this, we were told that wi-fi was available only in the lobby at a cost 0f Rs.120/= per day.  Our advice, do give it a try if you are visiting MP.

Hotel Amaltas at Panchmarhi.

The hotel was located about 2 km from the bus stand. Panchmarhi is in the buffer zone of the Satpura national park; hence no new structure can come up without approval from the wild life board. Therefore,  old colonial buildings of the colonial era are being done up and converted to some hotels. It also has the famous Army education Core training center. The hotel was being repaired and developed but the welcome and enthusiastic attitude of the staff never let one felt that the property is still under development. Be careful of the notorious monkeys while in Panchmarhi and keep your car’s windows rolled up and door locked and keep your food items away from their gaze. The food was simple but very well cooked and we enjoyed the dinner as well as the next day breakfast. The staff was helpful in directing us to various places and even gave a map and informing us as to what all places we can simply walk down. Next day we had a guide from the forest department, kind courtesy of the DFO to take us and show all the places around. As most of the places are in the national park area hence you have to pay Rs.600/= as entry fee to the forest department beside the vehicle hire charges. All National parks in MP have an entry fee to enter the national park area, which one can pay online but has to pay for the safari and guide charges separately. All around Panchmarhi  is the national forest and the drive or walk to the spots will take one through beautiful forest area. The falls require lot of walking and climbing up and down so have a good pair of shoes, water bottle and plenty of time.

Tourist Village Shivpuri.

The tourist village hotel of the MP tourist department is located slightly away from the city and you have to cross the city to reach it but if you are coming from Jhansi then it is at a very small diversion near the Madhav National Park. The hotel is located on the banks of the lake and has a boat club also, where one can take a boat ride in the lake. The rooms are good and overlook the lake. The property is well located and very well maintained and the staff was simply superb. The lake borders the Madhav national park and you can have a visit to the park in your vehicle along with a guide and after paying the entry fee and guide fee. The entrance to the park is very near the hotel. The hotel is worth staying for a few days to enjoy the park, lake and the monuments of Shivpuri.

Road travel in Madhya Pradesh

                              Road Conditions in Madhya Pradesh

Route.

We had planned to take a road trip in our car, a Renault Duster, from NOIDA (UP) to over a number of places in Madhya Pradesh in our 18 days trip from 21 Nov 2014 to 8 Dec 2014. We covered almost the entire MP starting from NOIDA, Sagar, Vidisha, Sanchi, Bhopal, Indore, Omkareshwar, Mandu, Maheshwar, Tawa reservoir, Panchmarhi, Narsinghpur, Pench National Park, Kanha National Park, Jabalpur, Katni and back to NOIDA via Sagar. It was a 3500 km long trip.

Noida to sagar.

 From NOIDA to Sagar it was a distance of about 655 Km. The road from Noida to greater Noida was via expressway and in the morning mostly devoid of traffic except for a few trucks. The road is good but watch out for trucks changing lanes and taxis from the service road which appear unannounced. After Greater Noida to Agra it was via Yamuna expressway a six lane express highway with a toll tag of Rs.320/=, which does not justify the facilities provided, except for clean bathrooms after every toll barrier and there are three of them. The negative point was no tree or shades in the central divider thus in the night the headlights blind you, so avoid doing this stretch in night. Keep on the center lane but keep a watch from vehicles overtaking you from both sides. No fuel pumps so fill up before you enter the expressway. There is one about halfway but you have to leave the highway and go about 2 km to the Petrol Pump and come back again. The biggest bottle neck is Agra which you have to cross and with very few signboards to guide you in the city. Try crossing it early morning or be prepared for hour and a half to cross Agra except on Sunday and holidays when the traffic is less. Avoid Gwalior road sign near Taj Mahal as it will lead you to a road with poles in between with just enough for a small car. Agra to Gwalior is on NH 3 and it is a four lane highway with reasonably good road but at places surface is not smooth and watch out for local traffic. You almost have to crawl due to over bridge construction in Dholpur, as well as the stretch near Chambal river where you have to take the old bridge with bad road for about 5 Km.  Ten kilometers short of Gwalior is the diversion to bypass Gwalior and it is best to take it as it takes you through some institutional area and completely bypasses Gwalior. Avoid going through or taking the NH 3 to town unless you have to. Road from Gwalior to Jhansi was the worst stretch with road going through Dabra and Datia  and you have to keep switching from left to right to left again throughout the stretch. This stretch will take the maximum time. Drive slowly and watch out for speed breakers near unfinished over bridges, near town and villages. You bypass Jhansi by turning right before you reach town towards Guna and go about 5 Km and then left to take the newly made N-S corridor. It was a delight to drive from Jhansi to Sagar on this beautiful 205 Km stretch, excellent surface and beautiful surrounding with field and jungle. You leave the highway near Sagar to do a 5 km bad stretch of road and then drive into town. It took 10 hrs to do the entire stretch from Noida to Sagar at a moderate speed of 90 Km/hr and with breaks for toilet and refueling. The Duster behaved exceedingly well with an average of around 22 Km to a liter. We reached without feeling tired due to excellent suspension and very little roll or pitching. Avoid taking the NH- 3 from Gwalior to Bhopal as the road between Shivpuri to Bhopal is presently not in a good condition and we were told to avoid it and was the reason for us to go to Sagar first. Via Sagar is about 100 km long but then you do have to come back to Vidisha and the road is very good.

Sagar to Bhopal.

The Road from Sagar to Bhopal, 220 Km stretch, was via Gyraspur , Vidisha, Sanchi and Bhopal,  a state highway, rather taking the taking the direct route which has toll, from Sagar to Bhopal via Raisen. It was a two lane highway but very good surface and little traffic. We diverted 10 Km to go and see the Rahatgarh Falls.  A beautiful place in the hills and jungle, which brought back old memories. Another stop at Gyraspur to see the remains of ancient temples called Athakhambe and Chaukhambe and then to Vidisha to see the Heliodorus pillar and finally to drive 10 km to see Udaygiri caves. This 10 km is partly village and partly jungle road. Take the bypass road in Vidisha rather than going through the city and avoid its traffic and a busy railway crossing. The caves required a lot of walking but worth seeing. From there it was to Sanchi via Vidisha again, as the direct road from the caves to Sanchi was not in a good condition.  Sanchi has the famous Stupas and an important place of Buddhism. From Sanchi it was a straight run to Bhopal. The road was good except for a few patches but a lot of traffic. We reached Bhopal at about 1500 hrs.

Bhopal to Bhimketa and Bhojpur

New Bhopal is a lovely city with good roads, Lakes, parks and a lot of trees. The Road from Bhopal to Bhimketa caves, about 40 Km away, which is inside Rattapani national park is good except for the last 10 Km which is a forest road and you had to pay Rs.100/= to enter the forest. Caves with their ancient paintings and the forest with monkeys, langoors and the birds made it delightful. The newly opened Van Vihar national park in the city with a jungle safari was an excellent example of what can be done within the city limits by dedicated forest officials in MP. The road to Bhimketa was a two lane but with lot of traffic and overtaking trucks was a challenge due to oncoming traffic. Watch out for the sigh to turn right as it is just on the turning and you miss it if you are not careful. Cross the main railway line and you are in the forest and a 10 km drive on forest road takes you to the caves. From Bhimketa  to Bhojpur the scenery was beautiful and the massive shivling at Bhojpur made you feel small. The temple half- finished and its plan etched on the stones nearby and the garden with the river nearby was really worth visiting. Part of this road was under repair but manageable.

Bhopal to Omkareshwar

The road from Bhopal to Indore, 190 Km four lane state highway, was again very good with excellent surface and then at Dewas it meets the NH 3 to Mumbai. Dewas is by passed if one wishes to and a slight diversion can take you to the Ujjain, the Shipra river and the Mahakal  temple, one of the twelve jyotirlings in India. We were going to see another on the island of Omkarehwar formed at the meeting point of Kaveri and Narmada river. It is an island shaped like OM in which the shivling is situated. We had seen Ujjain and hence we pressed on to Indore. The City is bypassed by the NH-3 and we took a slight diversion after half way through the bypass to the town to meet  our daughter’s in laws based there and have lunch with them. Do not miss the Gulab Jamuns ( Mawa Bati)  enroute at Sonkatch. The Dhaba is right on the highway out of the Town. After Indore you turn left towards Khadwa for Omkareshwar, a distance of 90 Km. The road again was a two lane state highway but very well maintained and good surface. It has hill section with excellent forest, scenery and some very good picnic spots. After crossing Narmada you turn left and go about 13 Km to reach Omkreshwar. The road was a two lane road but reasonably good.

Omkareshwar to Mandu and Maheshwar.

From Omkareshwar to Mandu it was a run of about 145 km. From Omkareshwar we again came back to Barwah on the Khadwa Indore road and then turned left to take the road to Maheshwar and to Mandu. The road to Maheshwar was a state highway, two lanes but with very good surface and low traffic density. You go upto Dhamnod after Maheshwar to meet the NH-3 again. Take the under pass at NH-3 to proceed straight rather than going on NH- 3 and then turning left at Milan Dhaba about 11 Km away from Dhamnod for Mandu. This narrow road after turning left at Milan Dhaba was good but too many villages and too many speed breakers was a nightmare to drive. If you go straight by underpass and travel another 15 Km on the road and then at the village turn right to go to Mandu then the road is slightly wide with hardly any villages and speed breakers. Near Mandu the road is not good. We took the village road to come back to Maheshwar . Mandu to Maheshwar was about 57 Km.

Maheshwar to Tawa Reservoir.

The distance from Maheshwar to Tawa reservoir was about 347 km. We again came back to Barwah from Maheshwar to take the state highway from Indore to Khandwa. It was the same two lane state highway but good surface but the only negative point was the drive through Khadwa after turning left from the state highway. The road was under repair in the city with high traffic density and no signboards showing Harda or Hoshangabad. The GPS was taking us through very congested inner roads but a local person guided us to an over bridge and then through reasonable open roads to out of Khandwa. The road from Khandwa to Harda again was a state highway but very good surface but with lot of road blocks and police checking due to local elections. Crossing Harda was tough with narrow roads and no signboards till you are almost out of town, exercise care and drive slowly and ask for directions. From Harda it was a straight run towards Hoshangabad on the state highway, again a two lane good state highway. About 25 km short of Hoshangabad take the right turn for Itarasi and there is a signboard showing it. You do not have to go to Hosangabad to come back to Itarasi. The road is a single lane narrow road but with reasonably good surface for 30 Km to reach Itarsi. You come out and join the state highway from Hoshangabad to Betul after most of the town and very near Cantonment area. Turn right at Itarasi on the Itarasi-  Betul road (NH69) towards Betul. The road is bad for about 7 Km with lot of potholes and heavy city traffic. I was told that the stretch from Hosangabad to after Itarasi was bad and is under repair. This was the first stretch in MP which we found bad and reminded me of the state of roads in MP about 8 years back. After about 7 km you are on ghat section with thick forest and you suddenly come across a road going left with a signboard for Tawa town and reservoir. Take this forest road to about 22 Km of thick forest to the banks of Tawa reservoir and a further 1 km takes you to Tawa resorts. The road is narrow but smooth and with very good jungle view.

Tawa to Pancmarhi.

Permission was taken from the Tawa Dam authorities to cross over the dam and enter the Satpura National Forest. The distance from Tawa to Panchmarhi is about 150 Km.We were advised to drive slowly over the dam as it was under repair and also slowly in the national forest stretch. The road was single lane forest road but with good surface. The view was enchanting and we turned a corner and suddenly found a Sambhar barring our way and questioning as to what we were doing in his territory. The river and the forest view was simply superb and we drove slowly just to enjoy the view and the wild animals. After about 15 Km we turned left and towards the Hosangabad- Pipariya highway and meet it near Babai. A drive of 20 Km but the road was not good with potholes, bad patches and passed through villages, so drive slowly and carefully. This was the first village road which was not good. At Babai we turned right to go towards Pipariya and then to Pancmarhi. On the way just two Km before Sohagpur there is a turning to the right to go to Madai, an official entry point and start of jungle safari to Satpura National Forest. From Pipariya to Panchmarhi the state highway was two lanes and with good surface till we turned right and left it for Panchmarhi. The road now was typical hill road, good surface and some excellent view of the river. Pachmarhi is inside the buffer zone of national forest; hence the old colonial buildings are still there and the AEC center. A small quite hill station with notorious monkeys who will go inside the car and take away anything that is inside. So keep your vehicle always locked up with windows rolled up at all times while in Pancmarhi. We had a strange encountered when a monkey almost got through the legs of my wife to reach inside the car and was trying to take a bag of oranges before we managed to shoo him away but he just kept sitting and staring at us from a distance of 5 feet..

Panchmarhi to Narsinghpur.

The distance from Panchmarhi to Narsinghpur is about 176 Km. The road was the same till Pipariya as it is one of the entry points for Panchmarhi from north. After Pipariya we turned right towards Narsinghpur. The road again was two lane, which by now we realized was the standard state highway in MP, but with good surface. However on this route there were places where the road has small potholes and surface had come out but still it was reasonably good. At Kareli we again turned right on the N-S corridor to cover the rest 30 Km on it. Near Narsighpur we turned right to the city to reach my wife’s ancestral place. 

Narsingpur to Pench.

Narsinghpur to Pench National Park (Karamajhiri) is about 170 Km via Seoni and then to Karmajhiri forest rest house. The road was the same N-S corridor which takes one to Nagpur and further. We took this road to about 15 Km after Seoni and then turned right to take the village road to the 30 Km drive on village road and forest road to Karmajhiri forest rest house. The forest rest house in located just on the entry point with very good scenery and jungle view and reasonable rates. At night you may even hear tiger calls. It only has two to three safari jeeps so book early or you can get one from Tourani gate by paying extra. It is one of the entry points to Pench National forest the other being 30 km down the N-S corridor and then turn right at Khawasa to travel 13 Km on forest road to reach the Tourani gate. Last 10 Km of the Karmajhiri road was the forest road but was being done up. In MP you only pay the park fee on line and the safari and guide charges are extra and paid at the gate.

Pench to Kanha.

 From Karamjhiri to Kanha-  Kisli forest rest house was a 177 Km run. We took a slightly different road as advised by locals and then the same village road for the rest of the trip to reach the N-S corridor. This route had only 5 Km of forest road and was in a better condition. The road up to Seoni was the same and at Seoni we took the bypass to avoid Seoni city. The road was not so good but not bad either but was a let down as compared to other state roads. If we had taken the regular route through the city and then turned right then the road was said to be good but with city traffic more time was needed. After 10 km we met the regular road coming from the city. The road was the same two lane state highway and we made good time till we reached Chiraidongi after driving 140 Km and left the state highway and turned right to take the village and forest  road for another 37 Km to the Kisli forest rest house. The road was good and we made good time to the Khatia Gate, the official entry point to the Kanha National forest. Our forest rest house was another 3 km inside the national park from the gate. We were advised to drive at 20 Km an hour only on this road and the view with Cheetals and Sambhar grazing by the side of the road was beautiful and worth the slow drive. 

Kanha to Jabalpur.

From Kisli forest rest house to Jabalpur was a 165 Km run. It was the same 37 Km of village road till Chiraidongi and then we turned right on the state highway to Mandla. A 30 Km drive with good road. At Mandla we met the NH-12A coming from Chattisgarh. The drive from Mandla to Jabalpur was through forest by the side of the Bargi reservoir and the road was good. At places the view was simply superb. There is a steamer service which one can take from Bargi to Madla and then go to Kanha. It was a 100 Km drive from Madla to Jabalpur and only on reaching Jabalpur we encountered traffic except for a village fair traffic after Mandla. 10 Km short of Jabalpur there is a left turning for 20 km of village road to drive to Bargi reservoir but we skipped it as it was getting late and we wanted to reach the destination before dark. We thought that we will do it tomorrow and take the 10 km drive from NH-7 after Bhedaghat but then the 10 Km route from NH-7 to Bargi was badly broken and we could not do Bargi Resorvoir. The road from Jabalpur to Bhedaghat was again very good as well as the portion of NH-7 which we encountered on our way back.

Jabalpur to katni.

The distance from Jabalpur to Katni was about 100 Km on NH-7. We took the Jabalpur by pass to avoid the city traffic. The road was good but avoid entry and exit from Jabalpur in the morning hours between 0800 to 1100 hrs and in the evening between 1700 hrs to 1900 hrs as the road from Jablapur towards Sihora for another 40 Km is choked with local traffic and driving in it was like driving in the city itself. After 40 Km it was smooth sailing till Katni and we reached there well in time.

Katni to Sagar.

 Katni to Sagar via Damoh is a straight run of 180 Km but we were advised not to take the direct road to Damoh as it was bad but to go back for another 40 Km towards Jabalpur road to Sihora and then turn right to take the village road for another 15 km and then meet the Jabalpur- Damoh state highway. It was the second state highway which we found not to be good and were told to avoid it. After Damoh we turned left to go to Sagar on the Katni-Sagar state highway. The road was state highway and good. Incidentally almost all the state highways in MP are two lanes with good surface but with toll. The toll is minimal and one does not mind paying it.

Sagar to NOIDA.

It was the last leg of our journey. We started early in the morning at 0600 hrs to reach NOIDA by 1630 hrs. Road condition has already been described in our journey from NOIDA to Sagar. The only bad points we faced was near  Jhansi- Gwalior stretch, near Dholpur and the Agra city traffic with hardly any signs guiding you to Yamuna Expressway. There are signs for Delhi but that will take you to NH-2 and to Delhi via Mathura, Palwal and Faridabad, a bad stretch to drive due to heavy traffic and slow progress at Mathura and Faridabad.

General Road Conditions MP

All the state highways in MP are two lane but with very good surface. They have toll on all these state highways but the toll is minimal and you get good driving comfort and also good mileage from your vehicle. The other state roads and not state highways or the roads which lead to villages are mostly with good surface but single lane and the road within the village is cemented. But be careful of speed breakers on these roads while entering or leaving the village and at some places there are more than two speed breakers. Some roads are under repair while it is only 5 % of the roads that are not good. Overall driving in MP is a pleasure and you enjoy the beautiful scenery and the forests. Eating places are confined mostly to the cities or near cities and wash room facilities are non- existent and confined to some of the petrol pumps. Carry lot of fruits and eatables till you can find a decent eating place. On the way you will be able to get lot of seasonal fruits being sold on the roads which are locally produced. Carry a repair kit and a battery operated compressor if you are using tubeless tyres. We carry as standard equipment a full tool kit, a battery operated, jack, wheel nut opener and compressor along with our faithful Swiss knife and a full medical box. Have a good GPS device with you but use it cautiously within the city as it will take you through congested shortest route rather than the long open roads. Do not hesitate to ask for directions within the city frequently.