Soon, dial 1033 to report road accidents

For reporting road accidents, the government has decided to set up a toll-free national helpline number, the Parliament was informed on Monday. “The government has decided to set up ‘1033’ toll-free national helpline for reporting road accidents and other issues related to National Highways,” MoS for Road Transport and Highways Radhakrishnan told the Rajya Sabha. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has mandated the Indian Highway Management Company Ltd (IHMCL), a firm promoted by it, to set up call centres for national highways helpline, he said, adding that the project has been structured under six zones. The development assumes significance as India accounts for 5 lakh road accidents annually, in which 1.5 lakh people lose their lives.