The government informed Parliament that the Silkyara tunnel project in Uttarakhand, where 41 workers were recently rescued after a collapse, includes a contract provision for constructing an escape passage, as mandated for safety by the Cabinet Committee.

In the current fiscal year, India's cargo volumes are expected to grow 6-8% driven by robust expansion in container and coal segments, supported by substantial government investments in transportation infrastructure including roads, ports, and airports, according to a recent ICRA report.

In 2022, authorities recorded a total of 4.61 lakh road accidents, resulting in 1.68 lakh deaths and 4.43 lakh injuries. Alarmingly, overspeeding was a major factor, contributing to 1.19 lakh of these deaths.

IRF President Emeritus K K Kapila in a letter to MoRTH said there is an urgent need to provide seats belts in buses, which need to be made mandatory. "There have been heart-wrenching passenger bus accidents resulting in loss of innocent lives. Many of them would have been saved, had they been wearing seat belts," he said.

"Up to January 2024, we have seen a 10 per cent year-on-year growth while the increase in construction of four-lane highways is 16 per cent," he said, adding that the construction of four-lane and above roads now stands at two-and-a-half times the annual achievement of FY’14.