Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has been vocal about a range of issues related to his department. In addition to building a vast network of expressways and highways across the country, he has been emphasizing road safety. Recently, he announced the provision of cashless treatment for those injured in road accidents and promised a reward of Rs 25,000 for individuals who transport accident victims to the hospital.
In a further step to strengthen road safety, Gadkari made an important statement, proposing that poor road construction be made a non-bailable offense. Speaking at an event organized by CII, he pointed out that India ranks first in the world for road accidents. He emphasized that faulty road construction should be treated as a serious offense, and contractors and engineers responsible for accidents due to poor construction should face jail time.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has set a goal to reduce road accident deaths by 50% by 2030. According to ministry data, there were 500,000 road accidents in India in 2023, resulting in 172,000 fatalities. Of these, 66.4% (114,000 people) were aged between 18 and 45, while 10,000 were children.
Gadkari also highlighted the alarming statistics regarding safety gear: 55,000 people died due to not wearing helmets, and 30,000 lost their lives because they were not wearing seat belts. Additionally, he shared that the Ministry will invest Rs 40,000 crore to repair black spots on highways.