New Delhi: New road transport secretary V Umashankar has instructed all highway engineers and officials to have zero-tolerance for potholes, while taking note of a recent case of a pothole-related death on a national highway in Kerala.
In his first meeting with senior road ministry, NHAI and NHIDCL officials after taking charge, Umashankar said all efforts must be made to get the national highway network rid of potholes, sources said. They added that the secretary told officials that any death due to potholes is criminal. Just after monsoon, social media was flooded with complaints of potholes and damaged highway stretches.
As per a published report on accidents in 2022 across all roads, 1,856 lives were lost in pothole-related crashes. The report of 2023 is yet to be published.
TOI has learnt that the secretary also directed officials to focus on quality construction and expediting delayed projects, particularly those that are lagging behind schedule for more than three years. He has sought details of such projects.
Last month, the Project Monitoring Group set up by the PMO under Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had directed departments to submit detailed reports within 15 days on projects delayed beyond three years and the action plan to complete them.
