Lok Sabha Question No. 4555 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-27
Subject: Maintenance of Highways and Traffic Management
Ministry: ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
Asked by: Smt. Lovely Anand

†

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4555

ANSWERED ON 27 TH  MARCH, 2025

MAINTENANCE OF HIGHWAYS AND TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT 4555.   SMT. LOVELY ANAND:

## Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

सड़क परिवहन औि िाजमार्ग मंत्री

## be pleased to state:

- (a) the steps being taken by the Government for the maintenance of highways and traffic management;
- (b) whether the Government  is bringing special schemes  for constructing all-weather roads in remote and hilly areas and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the measures being taken to make highways safe and sustainable in hilly and landslide prone areas;
- (d)  the  new  provisions  being  implemented  by  the  Government  to enhance traffic management and road safety on highways; and
- (e) whether there is any plan to implement a toll-free or concessional toll system in the  northeastern  States  and  if  so,  the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

## (SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)

- (a)    The  Government  has  prioritized  the  maintenance  of  existing National Highway (NH) network and inter-alia evolved a mechanism to  ensure  Maintenance  and  Repair  (M&R)  of  all  NHs  sections through accountable maintenance agency.

The M&R of stretches of NHs, where development works have commenced or Operation, Maintenance and Transfer (OMT) Concessions/  Operation  and  Maintenance  (O&M)  Contracts  have been awarded, are the responsibility of the concerned Concessionaires/  Contractors  till  the  end  of  the  Defect  Liability Period  (DLP)/  the  Concession  Period.  Similarly,  for  NHs  stretches undertaken  under  TOT  (Toll Operate  and  Transfer) and InvIT (Infrastructure Investment  Trust), M&R  responsibility lies with concerned Concessionaire till the end of the Concession Period.

For all remaining sections of NHs stretches, Government has taken  a  policy  decision  to  undertake  maintenance  works  through Performance  Based  Maintenance  Contract  (PBMC)  or  Short  Term Maintenance Contract (STMC).

In  order  to  strengthen  the  enforcement  of  traffic  rules  for ensuring traffic management in the country, the Government brings amendments  in  the  Motor  Vehicles  Act  from  time  to  time.  In accordance with the provisions of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, Government had also published rules in August 2021 for Electronic Monitoring and Enforcement of Road Safety at high-risk and  high-density  corridors  on  National  Highways,  State  Highways and at critical junctions in cities having a population of more than one million and cities under National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in the country. Enforcement of these rules comes under the purview of the State / Union Territory (UT) Governments.

Additionally,  the  Government  has  taken  up  installation  of Advanced  Traffic  Management  System  (ATMS)  in  Four  lane  and above NHs. ATMS has provisions for various electronic enforcement devices which help in speedy identification of incidents (including traffic violations) on the highway stretches and effectively monitor the  highways,  thereby  improving  incident  response  time  and  road safety.

- (b)      All  development  works  on  NHs,  including  NHs  in  Hilly  and Remote  areas,  are  generally  planned  as  All  Weather  Roads  only. Works on NHs are taken up based on the traffic density, condition of

the road, inter-se priority and synergy with PM Gati Shakti National Master  Plan  (NMP).  At  present,  1,310  NHs  projects  in  31,187  km length  costing  ₹8.11  Lakh  Crore  are  under  construction  in  the country.

For  ensuring  all-weather  connectivity  and  effective  traffic management  on  NHs  in  remote  /  hilly  areas,  weather  /  landslide warning & information systems are provided for guidance of traffic apart from tunnels and viaducts particularly  in high altitude areas for seamless traffic movement.

- (c)      The  Government  has  issued  standardized  parameters  for investigating hill slope stability & selecting cost-effective long-term stabilization  measures  for  landslide-prone  areas  in  hilly  regions. Further, sustainable bio-engineering measures such as coir/jute mat hydroseeding,  interlinked  chain  mesh  with  green  strips,  bamboo piling  by  stepped  berms  and  erosion  control  with  Vetivar  grass plantation  on  jute  matting  etc.  have  been  implemented  by  the Government for stabilizing hilly and landslide prone areas, thereby enhancing  safety  on  NHs  in  such  areas.  Construction  of  tunnel  is also explored as an option in case the above solutions are not found feasible.
- (d) Steps taken by the Government to enhance traffic management have been elaborated in reply to Part (a).

Road safety engineering measures / works on NHs, including rectification of blackspots, are undertaken mainly as part of scope of  development  /  maintenance  works  on  NHs  or  as  standalone projects in certain cases. Out of total 13,795 black spots identified on  the  NHs  upto  2021-22,  short-term  rectification  measures  have been completed on 11,515 black spots and permanent rectification measures  have  been  completed  on  5,036  black  spots.  Further, Government has formulated a multi-pronged strategy to address the issue of road safety based on Education, Engineering (both of roads and vehicles), Enforcement and Emergency Care. Details of various initiatives taken to address road safety issues are at Annexure.

(e)     User-fee at user fee plaza is collected for the use of section of National  Highway  as  per  the  provisions  of  National  Highways  Fee Rules  applicable  for  the  respective  category  of  vehicles  uniformly across the country.

## ANNEXURE

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (d) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  4555 ANSWERED  ON  27.03.2025 ASKED  BY  SMT.  LOVELY  ANAND  REGARDING  MAINTENANCE  OF

HIGHWAYS AND TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

Details of various initiatives taken to address road safety issues: -

## (A)      Education:

- i. Administers Road Safety Advocacy Scheme to provide financial assistance to various agencies for raising awareness about road safety and for administering road safety programs.
- ii. Observance  of  National  Road  Safety  Month/Week  every  year for spreading awareness and strengthening road safety.
- iii. Administers  a  scheme  for  setting  up  of  Institutes  of  Driving Training & Research (IDTRs), Regional Driving Training Centres (RDTCs)  and  Driving Training Centres (DTCs) at state/district level across the Country.
4. (B)      Engineering:

## B.1.    Road Engineering:

- i. Road  Safety  Audit  (RSA)  of  all  National  Highways  (NHs)  has been made mandatory through third party auditors/ experts at all stages i.e. design, construction, operation and maintenance etc.
2. High priority is accorded to identification and rectification of
- ii. black spots /accident spots on NHs.
- iii. Road  Safety  Officer  (RSO)  has  been  designated  at  each Regional Office of road owning agencies under MoRTH to look after RSA and other road safety related works.
- iv. Administers  the  electronic  Detailed  Accident  Report  (e-DAR) Project to establish a central repository for reporting, management and analysis of road accidents data across the Country.
- v. Issued guidelines for the provision of signages on Expressways and National Highways to offer improved visibility and intuitive guidance to the drivers.
- vi. Provisions have been made in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 for failure to comply with standards for the road design, construction  and  maintenance,  as  prescribed  by  the  Central Government from time to time.
8. B.2    Vehicle Engineering:

Various  initiatives  have  been  undertaken  to  make  vehicles  safer, including the following:-

- i. Mandatory provision of an airbag for the passenger seated on the front seat of a vehicle, next to the driver.
- ii. Prescribed  norms  related  to  safety  measures  for  children below  four  years  of  age,  riding  or  being  carried  on  a  motor cycle. It also specifies use of a safety harness, crash helmet and restricts speed to 40kmph.
- iii. Mandatory  provisions  for  fitment  of  following  listed  safety technologies: -

## For M1 category vehicles:

- a.
- Seat Belt Reminder (SBR) for driver and co-driver.
- b.
- c.
- Manual Override for central locking system
- Over speed warning system.

## For all M and N category vehicles:

## a.

## Reverse Parking Alert System

- Mandated Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) for certain classes of L [Motor vehicle with less than four wheels and includes a Quadricycle], M [Motor vehicles with at least four wheels used for  carrying  passengers]  and  N  [Motor  vehicles  with  at  least four  wheels  used  for  carrying  goods  which  may  also  carry persons in addition to goods, subject to conditions stipulated
- iv. in BIS standards] categories.
- v. Mandated speed limiting function/speed limiting  device  in  all transport  vehicles,  except  for  two  wheelers,  three  wheelers, quadricycles, fire tenders, ambulances and police vehicles.
- vi. Published the rules  for  recognition,  regulation  and  control  of Automated  Testing  Stations,  which  define  the  procedure  for fitness testing of vehicles through automated equipment and
- the  procedure  for  grant  of  fitness  certificate  by  ATSs.  The rules have been further amended on 31.10.2022 and 14.03.2024.
- vii. Formulated the Vehicle Scrapping Policy based on incentives/dis-incentives  and  for  creating  an  ecosystem  to phase out old, unfit and polluting vehicles.
- viii. Formulated  a  Scheme  to  set  up  one  model  Inspection  & Certification Centre in each State/UT with Central assistance for  testing  the  fitness  of  vehicles  through  an  automated system.
- ix. Published  rules  regarding  the  Bharat  New  Car  Assessment Program (BNCAP) to introduce the concept of safety rating of passenger  cars  and  empower  consumers  to  take  informed decisions.
- x. Published rules regarding prescribed level playing field in the area of manufacturing of buses by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and Bus Body Builders.
- xi. Mandated  vehicles,  manufactured  on  or  after  1 st   October, 2025,  shall  be  fitted  with  an  air-conditioning  system  for  the cabin  of  vehicles  of  N2  (goods  vehicle  with  gross  vehicle weight exceeding 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding 12.0 tonnes) and  N3  (goods  vehicle  with  gross  vehicle  weight  exceeding 12.0 tonnes) category.
- xii. Published  rules  for  revision  of  standards  for  Safety  Belt, Restraint Systems  and Safety Belt Reminder to provide provisions for applicability of revised standards for safety belt assemblies,  safety  belt  anchorages  and  the  installation  of Safety  Belts  and  Restraint  Systems,  in  Motor  vehicles  of category  M,  N  and  L7  w.e.f.  01 st   April,  2025.  Further,  the vehicles  of  category  M1,  manufactured  on  and  after  the  1 st April 2025, shall meet the requirement of safety belt reminder for all front facing rear seats as per AIS-145-2018.

## (C)     Enforcement:

- i. The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 as stands implemented provides for strict penalties for ensuring compliance  and  enhancing  deterrence  for  violation  of  traffic
2. rules and strict enforcement through use of technology.
- ii. Issued  rules  for  Electronic  Monitoring  and  Enforcement  of Road  Safety.  The  rules  specify  the  detailed  provisions  for placement  of  electronic  enforcement  devices  on  high  risk  & high density corridors on National Highways, State Highways and critical junctions in cities having population of more than one million in the country and cities under National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
- iii. On 10 th   June,  2024,  issued  an  advisory  to  all  the  States  and Union  territories  on  technological  interventions  for  ensuring compliance with Motor Vehicle Act, 1988.
5. (D)     Emergency Care:
- i. Published rules for the protection of Good Samaritan, who in good faith, voluntarily and without expectation of any reward or  compensation  renders  emergency  medical  or  non-medical care or assistance at the scene of an accident to the victim or transports such victim to the hospital.
- ii. Enhanced  compensation  of  victims  of  Hit  and  Run  motor accidents (from Rs.12,500 to Rs.50,000 for grievous hurt and from Rs.25,000 to Rs.2,00,000 for death).
- iii. The  National  Highways  Authority  of  India  (NHAI)  has  made provisions  for  ambulances  with  paramedical  staff/Emergency Medical  Technician/Nurse  at  toll  plazas  on  the  completed corridor of National Highways.
- iv. National  Health  Authority  (NHA)  has  implemented  a  pilot program  for  providing  cashless  treatment  to  victims  of  road accidents in Chandigarh Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Puducherry and Assam.

*****