Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India, has slammed civil engineers for poor road designs, which Gadkari says lead to most road accidents. Speaking at the Global Road Infratech Summit & Expo (GRIS) on Thursday, Gadkari blamed flawed detailed project reports (DPRs) for India’s road accident crisis.
The minister shared the number of accidents and said, “In India, we are facing a lot of crucial problems regarding road accidents. Every year, we have 4,80,000 road accidents and 1,80,000 deaths, probably the highest in the world.”
Talking about the socio-economic impact of these accidents, Gadkari said, “Out of these deaths, 66.4% are in the age group of 18 to 45, and there is a loss of the GDP, with a 3% loss in GDP. The loss of young people who are doctors, engineers, and, very importantly, talented youth is actually a great loss for our country.”
The minister called civil engineers, consultants, and their poor DPRs the ‘main culprits’ behind these accidents. He said, “The most important culprits in all these accidents are civil engineers. I don’t blame everybody, but after 10 years of experience, I have come to this conclusion. The most important culprits are those who are making the DPR (Detailed Project Report) and there are thousands of mistakes."
Speaking at the summit, Gadkari also criticised India's inadequate road signage and marking systems compared to global standards in countries like Spain, Austria, and Switzerland. He urged the industry to adopt better technologies and sustainable construction materials to improve road safety. He also emphasised the importance of industry-government collaboration in strengthening infrastructure, enforcing stricter safety measures, and enhancing emergency medical response systems.
The Indian government has set a target to reduce accident rates by 50% by 2030, making road safety a top priority. Gadkari stressed the need for better-designed roads, efficient traffic management, and improved public awareness campaigns to achieve this goal.
