Govt to spend on Rs 7,500-crore scheme to tackle road mishaps: Gadkari

With 1.5 lakh deaths a year, India registers the world's highest fatalities from road accidents, mostly in the 18-45 age group, Gadkari said

Union Road Transport Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said that the government will soon implement a Rs 7,500-crore scheme with the help of the World Bank to reduce road accidents by rectifying black spots on national and state highways. "We will soon get cabinet approval on this scheme, which will help improve upon accident-prone and black spots on national highways and state roads," Gadkari said during Question Hour in Rajya Sabha.

With 1.5 lakh deaths a year, India registers the world's highest fatalities from road accidents, he said. Gadkari said that it was unfortunate that 65 per cent of those dying every year were in the 18-45 age group.

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The minister said the scheme has been implemented in Tamil Nadu with the help of the World Bank and that there has been a 50 per cent reduction in accidents and deaths. The minister pitched for creating awareness, observance of rules, and improving road engineering and automobile engineering.

He pointed out that states such as Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh have helped reduce road accidents by around 50 per cent, while in Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Nagaland, accidents have increased by 47 and 40 per cent respectively.

The minister also said the record of states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra is not good and needs to improve.

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