37,164 killed on 6,358 black corridors of NHs in 3 years: Road ministry
UPSC / SSC current affairs note
Why in news
The road transport ministry informed Rajya Sabha that 6,358 'black corridors' on national highways recorded 37,164 deaths during 2023-25. This identification helps prioritize engineering interventions to improve road safety.
Background
Black corridors are continuous stretches of national highways with a higher number of fatal and grievous crashes, unlike isolated black spots. They are identified using crash data from the Electronic Detailed Accident Report (e-DAR) system.
Key facts
6,358 black corridors identified on NH network during 2023-25, with 37,164 deaths.
Tamil Nadu has the most black corridors (958), followed by Uttar Pradesh (671) and Karnataka (607).
Viluppuram district in Tamil Nadu has the maximum black corridors (70) among districts.
Pune Rural district has 60 black corridors, Purba Medinipur (West Bengal) 52, Cuddalore (Tamil Nadu) 49, Palakkad (Kerala) 48.
Government has adopted a phased roadmap for deploying Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) on all four-lane and above NHs and expressways.
ATMS roadmap includes local, regional, and national command and control centres for centralized monitoring and incident management.
Since March 2024, major deficiencies reported in 61 NH projects/stretches, including collapse and defects in reinforced soil wall, girders, concrete panel, rutting, and potholes.
103 contractors and agencies have been blacklisted and penalized for poor quality work.
Prelims pointers
- Black corridors: continuous NH stretches with high fatal/grievous crashes.
- e-DAR: Electronic Detailed Accident Report system used for crash data.
- ATMS: Advanced Traffic Management Systems for NHs and expressways.
- Rajya Sabha: Upper House of Indian Parliament.
- Nitin Gadkari: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways.
Mains angles
- GS3: Infrastructure – Road safety measures and engineering interventions.
- GS3: Government policies – Effectiveness of e-DAR and ATMS in reducing accidents.
- GS2: Parliament – Role of parliamentary questions in accountability.