CHENNAI: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Thursday informed the Lok Sabha that there are no design flaw in national highways in Tamil Nadu and that all road safety measures were taken before the roads were opened for commercial operation. The union government also said a total of 8,487 people have been killed in 23,841 accidents at black spots on national highways till December 2025.
Responding to a question by Congress Lok Sabha member Manickam Tagore, who highlighted poorly designed national highways are putting motorists at risk, Gadkari said necessary road safety measures include the provision of service roads, median openings, merging and diverging facilities, crash barriers, signage boards, foot overbridges (FOBs), and other safety features.
“The road safety audit is carried out for the independent assessment of newly constructed roads before opening them. During operation, roads are assessed at regular intervals to identify safety-related issues, and remedial measures are taken,” he said.
Besides, accident data on all national highways are monitored on a pan-India basis through the eDAR (Electronic Detailed Accident Report) portal, and accident-prone spots are identified.
Road safety audits on national highways have been made mandatory through third-party auditors and experts at all stages, including design, construction, operation, and maintenance.
Manickam Tagore said poorly designed national highways in Tamil Nadu have “converted key economic corridors into accident-prone zones”.
Tagore highlighted that motorists are forced to take dangerous U-turns due to the absence of continuous service roads, illegal crossings, unsafe mixing of local traffic – such as pedestrians and two-wheelers – with high-speed vehicles, and frequent wrong-side driving, putting motorists at risk.
He questioned whether any concrete action had been taken against engineers, consultants, and contractors “whose flawed designs have turned key economic corridors into hazardous routes”.
He also asked whether the construction of pedestrian underpasses, vehicular underpasses, and other safety facilities was ignored at the initial stage of highway projects and taken up only after fatalities, protests, and media reports, despite evidence of heavy pedestrian movement near hospitals, bus stops, and other public places.