37,164 killed on 6,358 ‘black corridors’ of NHs in 3 yrs: Road ministry
NEW DELHI: Govt has identified 6,358 “black corridors” on NH network during 2023-25, which recorded 37,164 deaths, as per road transport ministry. The maximum such black corridors were in Tamil Nadu (958), followed by UP (671) and Karnataka (607). Among districts, Viluppuram in Tamil Nadu had a maximum of 70 such corridors.Unlike isolated black spots, these corridors are continuous stretches of NH that have recorded a higher number of fatal and grievous road crashes. The identification is expected to help authorities prioritise engineering interventions and improve road safety outcomes, officials said.The road transport ministry informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that black corridors have been identified based on the available crash data from Electronic Detailed Accident Report (e-DAR). As per ministry data, Pune Rural district had 60 black corridors, followed by 52 in Purba Medinipur in West Bengal, 49 in Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu and 48 in Palakkad in Kerala.Responding to a separate question, road transport minister Nitin Gadkari informed the Upper House that govt has adopted a phased roadmap for deployment of advanced traffic management systems (ATMS) across all four-lane and above NHs and expressways. The roadmap includes establishment of local, regional, and national command and control centres for centralised monitoring, incident management, traffic analytics, and coordinated response.In a written reply to another question on highway quality, the ministry said major deficiencies in NH stretches and bridges since March 2024 have been reported for 61 projects and stretches across the country. The deficiencies included collapse and defects in reinforced soil wall, girders, concrete panel, rutting and potholes. It said that 103 contractors and agencies have been blacklisted and penalised for poor quality work.
