POOR ENGINEERING AND SUBSTANDARD DETAILED PROJECT REPORTS (DPRS) INCREASE ROAD ACCIDENTS

UNION MINISTER BLAMES ENGINEERS & POOR DPRs FOR RISING ROAD ACCIDENTS

Nitin Gadkari, minister for road transport and highways, has blamed the increasing road accidents and fatalities in India on poor engineering and substandard detailed project reports (DPRs). At the CII National Conclave on Road Safety on Tuesday, Gadkari highlighted the urgent need for improved road safety measures and called upon the industry to develop strategies to enhance road safety, including campaigns for behavioral change and creating a pool of trained drivers and technical experts.

The minister said that there should be a conference on how they can improve road quality as far as road safety is concerned. He said there should be talks on accepting new technologies in the world to reduce road cost and improve road safety.

Gadkari emphasized the four crucial ‘E’s of road safety: engineering, education, enforcement, and emergency medical services. He pointed out the dire quality of DPRs in the country, holding engineers largely responsible for the rise in road accidents due to poor planning and design. “…This gives me a feeling that basically, the engineers are responsible for road accidents. So, the main problem is road engineering and defective planning, and defective DPRs,” he said.

According to the ministry’s 2022 report, India witnessed a staggering 460,000 road accidents, resulting in 168,000 deaths and 400,000 serious injuries. These accidents occurred at an alarming rate of 53 per hour, causing 19 deaths per hour and contributing to an economic loss of 3.18% of the GDP. Gadkari revealed a 12% increase in road accidents and a 10% rise in road accident deaths compared to the previous year.

The minister noted that 16% of road accident victims are young people aged 18-35, and while national and state highways comprise only 5.5% of India’s road network, they account for 36% of road accident deaths. 

With road safety a top priority, the government aims to reduce accident rates by 50% by 2030, he said. 

He also highlighted the need for stronger law enforcement and responsive emergency medical services. Addressing a driver shortage of 2.2 million in the country, the minister encouraged the industry to initiate training programs for new drivers to enhance road safety.

The minister highlighted that people neither have respect for the law nor fear. “People go abroad and follow road laws, but they don’t do it here,” he said.

Calling road accident deaths “a very serious problem”, he said: “If we can take initiatives to stop accidents, it will be a great thing for the country.”