Lok Sabha Question No. 65 (STARRED), answered on 2023-12-07
Subject: Fatal Accidents on Expressways
Ministry: ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
Asked by: Kotagiri Sridhar, Hemant Tukaram Godse

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 65 ANSWERED ON 7 TH  DECEMBER, 2023

## FATAL ACCIDENTS ON EXPRESSWAYS

## *65.  SHRI SRIDHAR KOTAGIRI: SHRI HEMANT TUKARAM GODSE:

## Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

सड़क परिवहन औि िाजमार्ग मंत्री

## be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that the regular fatal accidents on  the  expressways  have  increased  due  to  heavy  commercial vehicles parked illegally on road;
- (b) if so, the steps taken by the Government in this regard;
- (c) whether Surveillance Vehicles Teams have been deployed to curb such menace on the expressways;
- (d)
- if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (e) whether  designated  parking  lots  would  be  provided  to  the  heavy vehicles on the expressways; and
- (f) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

(SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)

- (a) to (f) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) TO (f) OF THE LOK SABHA  STARRED  QUESTION  NO.  *65  FOR  ANSWER  ON  07.12.2023, ASKED BY SHRI SRIDHAR KOTAGIRI & SHRI HEMANT TUKARAM GODSE REGARDING FATAL ACCIDENTS ON EXPRESSWAYS.

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- (a)       As  per  data  received  from  Police  Departments  of  States/Union Territories,  number  of  fatal  accidents  on  National  Highways  (including National Expressways) in the country for the period from 2019 to 2022 is given in the table below : -
- (b)  The Ministry, as mandated under enabling provisions of Section 118 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (The MV Act, 1988), notified 'The Motor Vehicles (Driving) Regulations, 2017' vide G.S.R 634 (E) dated 23.06.2017, which  provides  for  regulatory  requirements  to  be  followed  by  all  road users including drivers of heavy vehicles such as -duties of drivers and riders,  lane  traffic,  right  of  way,  stopping  and  parking,  ban  on  traffic impairment and driving of tractors and goods vehicles. Section 177A of The MV  Act, 1988, as stands included vide the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, prescribes penalty for contravention of regulations made under section 118. Section 201 of The MV Act, 1988, as stands recently amended, provides for penalty for causing obstruction to free flow of traffic by all types of vehicles including heavy vehicles.

|   Year | No. of fatal accidents   |
|--------|--------------------------|
|   2019 | 51,036                   |
|   2020 | 45,655                   |
|   2021 | 50,953                   |
|   2022 | 55,571                   |

As per provisions under Section 136A of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019,  Ministry  has  notified rule for  Electronic  Monitoring  and Enforcement of Road Safety vide G.S.R. 575(E) dated 11th August, 2021.

Advanced Traffic  Management  System  (ATMS)  is  presently  installed  in high traffic density National Highways and National Expressways such as Delhi-Meerut Expressway, Trans-Haryana, Eastern Peripheral Expressway etc. by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

Ministry has taken various steps in the interest of drivers such as Wayside Amenities etc. on National Expressways.

Ministry  has  also  circulated  guidelines  in  July  2023  for  provision  of signages  on  National  Expressways   to  provide  crucial  information  to drivers  for  safe  navigation  and  minimizing  risks  associated  with  lane changes.

Toll free Helpline No. 1033 is available 24*7 for assistance of  National Expressways' users .

- (c)  &  (d)      Route  Patrolling  Vehicles  (RPV)/  Highway  Surveillance Vehicles  (HSV)  deployed  by  contractors/concessionaires  on  National Expressways have multiple roles including removal of the illegally parked vehicles  along  the  National  Expressway.   At  present,  a  total  of  39 HSV/RPV  are  deployed  on  the  operational  National  Expressways  as detailed below : -
- (e) & (f)      The Ministry has issued guidelines dated 11.02.2021 regarding development of Wayside Amenities (WSA) having resting facilities such as Parking, Dormitory, Dhaba, etc for  drivers, for reducing fatigue of long distance travel along the National Highways and National Expressways. National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML) is developing WSA  at  regular  intervals  across  Brownfield  National  Highways  and Expressways.

|   Sl. No. | Name of the National Expressways   |   Operational length (in km) |   Number deployed HSV/RPV |
|-----------|------------------------------------|------------------------------|---------------------------|
|         1 | Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway      |                       93.303 |                         3 |
|         2 | Delhi-Meerut Expressway            |                       84     |                         6 |
|         3 | Eastern Peripheral Expressway      |                      135     |                         5 |
|         4 | Trans-Haryana Expressway           |                      227.02  |                         8 |
|         5 | Delhi-Mumbai Expressway            |                      457.74  |                        17 |

At  present  38  WSA  are  operational  along  the  National  Highways  and National  Expressways.   Out  of  the  38  WSA,  20  WSA  are  along  the operational National Expressways as detailed at Annexure.

Annexure

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ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (e) & (f) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *65 FOR ANSWER ON 07.12.2023, ASKED BY SHRI SRIDHAR KOTAGIRI  &  SHRI  HEMANT  TUKARAM  GODSE    REGARDING  FATAL ACCIDENTS ON EXPRESSWAYS.

## Details of 20 Operational WSAs on National Expressways :-

|   Sl. No | State         | NH/ National Expressways   | Site Description                                          |
|----------|---------------|----------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Haryana       | Trans-Haryana              | AK3-9L_Package6_152+500 LHS                               |
|        2 | Haryana       | Trans-Haryana              | AK3-10R_Package6_152+500 RHS                              |
|        3 | Haryana       | Trans-Haryana              | AK3-11L_Package7_191+600 LHS                              |
|        4 | Haryana       | Trans-Haryana              | AK3-12R_Package7_191+600 RHS                              |
|        5 | Haryana       | Delhi-Mumbai               | DD2-3L_Package3_63+140 LHS                                |
|        6 | Haryana       | Delhi-Mumbai               | DD2-4R_Package3_69+900 RHS                                |
|        7 | Rajasthan     | Delhi-Mumbai               | DD4-6L_Package6_172+550 LHS                               |
|        8 | Rajasthan     | Delhi-Mumbai               | DD4-6R_Package6_172+550 RHS                               |
|        9 | Rajasthan     | Delhi-Mumbai               | DD3-5R_Package5_125+600 RHS                               |
|       10 | Rajasthan     | Delhi-Mumbai               | DD3-5L_Package5_125+600 LHS                               |
|       11 | Uttar Pradesh | Eastern Peripheral         | Kundli - Palwal/ NE2_39+500_RHS_Milak Chakarpur_Ghaziabad |
|       12 | Uttar Pradesh | Eastern Peripheral         | Kundli - Palwal/ NE2_39+500_LHS_Milak Chakarpur_Ghaziabad |
|       13 | Haryana       | Trans-Haryana              | AK2-5L_Package4_93+530 LHS                                |
|       14 | Haryana       | Trans-Haryana              | AK2-6R_Package4_93+530 RHS                                |
|       15 | Haryana       | Trans-Haryana              | AK2-7L_Package5_120+400 LHS                               |
|       16 | Haryana       | Trans-Haryana              | AK2-8R_Package5_120+400 RHS                               |
|       17 | Haryana       | Trans-Haryana              | AK1-1L_Package1_21+100 LHS                                |
|       18 | Haryana       | Trans-Haryana              | AK1-2R_Package1_21+100 RHS                                |
|       19 | Haryana       | Trans-Haryana              | AK1-3L_Package2_50+650 LHS                                |
|       20 | Haryana       | Trans-Haryana              | AK1-4R_Package2_50+650 RHS                                |

*****