Statistical analysis of the road network of India

In this paper we study the Indian highway network as a complex network where the junction points are considered as nodes, and the links are formed by an existing connection. We explore the topological properties and community structure of the network. We observe that the Indian highway network displays small-world properties and is assortative in nature. We also identify the most important road-junctions (or cities) in the highway network based on the betweenness centrality of the node. This could help in identifying the potential congestion points in the network. Our study is of practical importance and could provide a novel approach to reduce congestion and improve the performance of the highway network.