The Central government has asked the States to find ways to compensate the victims of killer potholes.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has issued a new directive to the States based on a petition in the Supreme Court to suggest ways to compensate ‘legal representatives’ of victims. The compensation will have to be directed towards cases where death has resulted from poor condition or lack of maintenance of roads by local authorities. The new policy will have to hold local bodies or public works departments in States responsible for negligence. MoRTH has asked States to submit a report at the earliest and support its initiatives to provide succour to the kin of victims.
Issuing the order, Ram Raj Meena, Under Secretary, Government of India, said potholes have claimed 14,936 lives between 2013 and 2017. The Supreme Court Committee on Roads Safety, in its latest observations sent to the States, has said that the number of deaths due to poor roads is alarmingly high and is not acceptable. The Committee said, “It indicates the authorities whether they are municipal corporations or State governments or the National Highway Authority of India or other such bodies or organisations are not maintaining roads properly.” The Committee said there is no provisions to grant compensation to the legal representatives of victims. It said, “They are the ones who have to live with an unforeseen tragedy which arises only due to lack of concerns shown by the authorities.”
The petitioner S. Rajaseekaran noted in a writ that States must maintain a record of the number of accidents resulting in injuries other than deaths as there is no such data available. Nishant R. Katneshwar, Maharashtra’s Chief Standing Council in the Supreme Court, said the Centre would have to formulate the policy under the Motor Vehicles Act. He said, “The job of the Union is to collect data and formulate a policy. The State governments have to follow the policy formulated by the Union in letter and spirit and give inputs.”
Mumbai, Pune, Nashik and Nagpur figure among the top 50 cities in the Road Accidents in India 2017 report prepared by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. In Mumbai, 3,160 accidents took place in 2017, of which 467 were fatal, claiming 490 lives, and 2,603 caused injury to 3,287 people. In Pune, of the 1,508 accidents, 360 were fatal and 966 caused injury.