116,000 accidents, about 48,000 deaths on national highways in 2020: Govt

A total of 116,496 road accidents occurred on national highways, including expressways, in 2020, causing 47,984 deaths, Parliament was informed

A total of 116,496 road accidents occurred on national highways (NHs), including expressways, in 2020, causing 47,984 deaths, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

In 2019, a total of 137,191 accidents had taken place on NHs, including expressways, which resulted in 53,872 deaths, according to a written reply to the Rajya Sabha by Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.

The minister said that advanced traffic management systems are an integral part of the concession agreement and have been revised recently to include advanced technology-based solutions like incidence detection smart cameras, emergency telephone boxes, CCTV cameras to improve safety of commuters as well as improve the surveillance network for security purposes.

In addition, he said the ministry is developing way side amenities along the highways to provide users with hospitals for medical services and also helipads for emergency evacuation in case of medical emergencies.

Replying to a separate question, Gadkari said a total 1,640 permissions have been granted by the ministry for access to private properties from NHs in the last three years.

Replying to another question, he said user fee notification for collection of user fee on Delhi-Meerut Expressway (NE-3) is likely to commence soon.