Lok Sabha Question No. 1809 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-01
Subject: New Highways in Kerala
Ministry: ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
Asked by: Shri Benny Behanan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1809 ANSWERED ON 01 ST  AUGUST, 2024

## NEW HIGHWAYS IN KERALA

1809.   Shri Benny Behanan:

Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS सड़क परिवहन औि िाजमार्ग मंत्री be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  received  any  proposals  for  new highway projects or bypasses in Kerala, if so, the details along with the projected cost and timeline;
- (b) the details of number of road accidents reported in Kerala during the last three years, along with the measures taken to improve road safety in the State;
- (c)  the  progress  made  in  the  implementation  of  the  Intelligent Transportation  System(ITS)  in  Kerala,  including  the  current  status and expected completion date; and
- (d)  the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  address  the  issue  of potholes and poor road conditions on National Highways in Kerala and  the  funds  allocated  for  maintenance  of  roads  during  the  last year?

ANSWER THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS (SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)

- (a) Development and maintenance of National Highways (NHs) is a continuous process. At present, in the state of Kerala, construction in a total length of 821.43 km amounting to Rs. 57774.00 crore has been  undertaken.  Further,  consultants  for  preparation  of  Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) have been engaged for various stretches of NHs in the state of Kerala. The decision of construction is subject to outcome  of  DPR,  technical  feasibility, inter-se priority  and availability of funds.
- (b) Total 32,269 road accidents have occurred over the three years from  2020  to  2022  on  National  Highways  in  Kerala.  Based  on  the road accident data provided by the Government of Kerala, Ministry has identified 460 nos. of black spots on various National Highways in state of Kerala during last three years.

Ministry  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.  The  initiatives taken among others include

-  Road Safety Advocacy Scheme to provide financial assistance to various agencies for raising awareness about road safety and for administering road safety programs;
-  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.  One  Driving  Training  Institute  has  been sanctioned at Eddapal in Kerala State.
-  Road  Safety  Audit  (RSA)  of  all  National  Highways  (NHs)  has been  made  mandatory  at  all  stages  i.e.  design,  construction, operation  and  maintenance  etc.  A  special  initiative  has  been undertaken to complete short-term rectification measures of all identified black spots on NHs in all states/UTs including Kerala by December, 2024 and sanction long-term rectification measures,  wherever  required, on all identified black spot
- locations  on  NHs  in  the  country,  including  Kerala  in  current
- Financial Year 2024-25.
-  Ministry  has  mandated  the  provision  of  an  airbag  for  the passenger  seated  on  the  front  seat  of  a  vehicle,  next  to  the driver;  fitment  of  Seat  Belt  Reminder  (SBR)  for  driver  and  codriver, Manual Override for central locking system, Over speed warning system and Reverse Parking Alert System for all M and N category. Ministry has also mandated speed limiting function/speed limiting device in all transport vehicles, except for  two  wheelers,  three  wheelers,  quadricycles,  fire  tenders, ambulances and police vehicles.
-  Ministry has 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  with  more  than  one million population.
-  Ministry has notified rules for the protection of Good Samaritan.
-  National  Highways  Authority  of  India  has  made  provisions  for ambulances with paramedical staff/Emergency Medical Technician/Nurse  at  toll  plazas  on  the  completed  corridor  of National  Highways  and,  along  with  National  Health  Authority (NHA), has implemented a pilot program for providing cashless treatment  to  victims  of  road  accidents  in  Chandigarh  and Assam.
- (c)  The  provision  of  Intelligent  Transport  System(ITS)  involving Video Surveillance System, Vehicle Actuated Radar Speed Displays, emergency roadside telephones, Variable Message sign, Automatic traffic Counter cum classifier, etc. are included in ongoing projects in Kerala executed by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).  Last of the Scheduled Completion Date of these projects is March 2026.
- (d) Development and maintenance of NHs is a continuous process. The Ministry has evolved a mechanism to ensure Maintenance and

Repair (M&R) of all NHs sections, including for the State of Kerala, 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 remaining NHs stretches, Ministry has taken policy decision to undertake maintenance works through contract maintenance, which is either Performance based Maintenance Contract (PBMC) or Short Term Maintenance Contract (STMC), leaving no section of NHs without any accountable contractual maintenance agency. During  2023-24,  Ministry  has  incurred  expenditure  of  Rs. 10,419 crore towards development and maintenance of NHs in the

State of Kerala.

*****