Lok Sabha Question No. 1047 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-08
Subject: Enabling Road Safety
Ministry: ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
Asked by: Behanan Benny

## be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of plans to enable road safety to prevent crashes and fatalities,  considering  the  increasing  rate  of  death  due  to  road accidents in the country over the past year;
- (b) the details of proposals to reduce to ballooning debt-servicing cost and its heavily leveraged balance sheet, that have been flagged by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) previously; and
- (c) the reasons for not taking any action for more than 1.5 years on the illegal toll collection scams in the country?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) 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.  Accordingly,  various initiatives have been taken by the Ministry as detailed attached as per Annexure.
- (b) The borrowings of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) are as per approval in the Union Budget. Since Financial Year 2023-24, no additional  debt  liability  is  incurred  by  NHAI  as  no  Internal  and  Extra Budgetary Resources (IEBR) is allocated to NHAI in Union Budget. In order to reduce the debt servicing cost on existing debt, the following measures have been taken by NHAI :
- (i) Some portion of debt is swapped to reduce the interest liability.
- (ii) Monetization proceeds received through NHAI InVIT route are used only for debt servicing purpose.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1047 ANSWERED ON 8 TH  FEBRUARY, 2024

## ENABLING ROAD SAFETY

## 1047. SHRI BENNY BEHANAN:

## Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

सड़क परिवहन औि िाजमार्ग मंत्री

- (c) User  fee  (toll)  is  collected  as  per  the  National  Highways  Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008 duly published in the Gazette of India on all stretches/ user fee plazas of National Highways (NHs). Any unauthorized collection by concessionaire or toll collecting agency is dealt with as per the provisions of the National Highways Fee (Determination  of  Rates  and  Collection)  Rules,  2008.  Further,  any instance  of  illegal user  fee  (toll) collection is  reported  to  State Authorities for investigation and appropriate action in accordance with the law.

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO.  1047  ANSWERED  ON  8 TH   FEBRUARY,  2024  ASKED  BY  SHRI BENNY BEHANAN REGARDING ENABLING ROAD SAFETY.

Details of various initiatives taken by the Ministry to address the issue of Road Safety: -

- (1)        Education:
- i.            Ministry  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.      Ministry 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.
- (2)    Engineering (both of Roads and vehicles)
6. 2.1.    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.
- ii.       High priority is accorded to identification and rectification of black spots /accident spots on NHs.
- iii.    Road  Safety  Officer  (RSO)  has  been  designated  at  each  Regional Office of road owning agencies under the Ministry to look after RSA and other road safety related works.
- iv.       Ministry  administers  the  electronic  Detailed  Accident  Report  (eDAR) Project to establish a central repository for reporting, management and analysis of road accidents data across the Country.
- v.        Ministry  has  issued  guidelines  for  the  provision  of  signages  on Expressways and National Highways by incorporating best practices and International standards to offer improved visibility and intuitive guidance to the drivers.
12. 2.2    Vehicle engineering:

Ministry has taken various initiatives 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:

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

## For all M and N category vehicles:

- Reverse Parking Alert System
- iv.      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 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.
- vii.     Formulated the Vehicle Scrapping Policy based on incentives/disincentives  and  for  creating  an  ecosystem  to  phase  out  older,  unfit  a polluting vehicles.
- viii.    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.
- (3)        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 rules and strict enforcement through use of technology.

ii. 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.

## (4)        Emergency care:

- i.      Ministry has for the protection of Good Samaritan, who in good faith, voluntarily  and  without  expectation  of  any  reward  or  compensation renders  emergency  medical  or  nonmedical  care  or  assistance  at  the scene  of  an  accident  to  the  victim  or  transports  such  victim  to  the hospital.

ii.     Ministry has 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 has made provisions for ambulances with paramedical staff/Emergency Medical Technician/Nurse at toll plazas on the completed corridor of National Highways.

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