Since 2022, India has witnessed a quiet but powerful shift. Startup culture has moved beyond metro boardrooms and Ivy League dreams. Across campuses and small towns, students and young professionals are walking away from traditional career paths and even high-profile degrees to build startups rooted in real, everyday problems.
Not all of these ideas are about apps, fintech, or artificial intelligence. Some are far more grounded—born from lived experiences, repeated frustrations, and gaps that most people complain about but few choose to fix.
One such gap lies right along India’s highways.
When World-Class Roads Meet Poor Pit Stops
India’s highways today are symbols of progress. Expressways cut travel time dramatically, connect tier-2 cities to metros, and support trade, tourism, and logistics at scale. On paper, the country’s road infrastructure rivals global benchmarks.
But the moment a traveller needs to stop for food, rest, or a washroom, the experience often changes. Clean, safe, and hygienic pit stops are still difficult to find. Families hesitate, women travellers plan stops carefully, and truck drivers have little choice but to adjust.
This mismatch between modern roads and outdated roadside facilities is what led to the birth of Touching Towns.
A Chartered Accountant Who Chose an Unusual Problem
Touching Towns was founded by Anshuman Chaudhary, a Chartered Accountant who took an unconventional route into entrepreneurship. Unlike many startup stories driven by valuation dreams, this one began with observation.
Frequent highway travel made one thing clear: the problem wasn’t always neglect. Many roadside eateries, dhabas, and small hotels are family-run businesses operating without exposure to structured hygiene standards or professional training.
“There is willingness,” Anshuman often notes. “But there is a lack of awareness.”
That insight became the foundation of Touching Towns.
Education Over Penalties
Instead of acting like an inspection authority, Touching Towns works as a partner. The startup focuses on education rather than enforcement helping establishments understand what hygiene actually means in daily operations.
The process begins with on-site assessments covering kitchen practices, food handling, washroom maintenance, waste management, and overall cleanliness. Based on these findings, customised training is provided to staff, focusing on habits, routines, and simple systems rather than costly upgrades.
The idea is to build pride in cleanliness, not fear of punishment.
Starting with the Delhi–Chandigarh Highway
Touching Towns began its work on the Delhi–Chandigarh highway, one of North India’s busiest travel corridors. The stretch serves everyone from business travellers and tourists to long-haul truck drivers, making it a realistic testing ground.
Establishments that meet hygiene benchmarks are recognised, helping travellers identify reliable stopovers. Regular monitoring and traveller feedback add a layer of accountability, encouraging consistency.
Over time, trust begins to build not just in individual outlets, but in the idea that highway stops can be dependable.
Why This Model Matters
India’s highway hospitality ecosystem is massive and fragmented. While food safety rules exist, enforcement is uneven, especially outside urban centres. Touching Towns steps into this gap as a neutral third party—aligning hygiene with business benefits.
Cleanliness directly impacts footfall, repeat visits, and reputation. For roadside businesses operating in competitive clusters, even small improvements can make a measurable difference.
Redefining What Infrastructure Really Means
Touching Towns doesn’t build new rest stops or restaurants. Instead, it upgrades what already exists making the model scalable, cost-effective, and adaptable across regions.
As India’s startup wave continues to mature, ventures like this signal a shift in thinking. Entrepreneurship is no longer only about disruption, it’s about responsibility, dignity, and solving overlooked problems at scale.
Because in the end, infrastructure isn’t just about roads.
It’s about how people experience the journey.
