India’s Death Traps

“A promise is like a road or

a highway… one that takes

you somewhere, not one

that leaves you stranded.”

— Anonymous

Across India, from its metropolitan cities to the smallest towns, one question is echoing: where is all the investment on India’s road infrastructure going? After all, every citizen working in the formal economy pays income tax. Every car- or two-wheeler-owner pays registration and road-tax at the time of purchase. Every highway-user pays a toll tax. And every tourist to India’s hill stations pays a ‘green tax’. Yet, the one thing that these payments are supposed to ensure—safe, durable and dependable road infrastructure—remains elusive. The truth is undeniable, one that is being thrust into our faces and jarringly felt under the tyres of our vehicles. India’s roads are breaking down faster than they are being built.

Ironically, as Indian drivers are jostled around on potholed roads, washed-out highways and flooded under-passes, posed pictures on hoardings remind them of ribbon-cutting ceremonies, glittering expressways and haughty newspaper headlines. Motorists barely have time to indulge in even a mirthless smile, scouting as their eagle eyes are for the next rushing crater, imminent road collapse, open drainage grate or cave-in that could plunge them into a sinkhole. Every commute is a gamble and every outing a life-toss. The paradox is stark: by March this year, India’s national highway network stood at 146,204 kilometres.

If citizens do protest, road workers and authorities blame it all on rain, repair work or shifting contractors. What is not provided are simple, direct answers. Who built this road? What was the cost? Who approved its quality? Who is accountable if the road fails? A recent plea by a Bengaluru entrepreneur demanding precisely such answers elicited no answers, but social media jumped in and panned in on a home truth—India doesn’t need more highways, it needs accountability.

Pay in Blood & Money

Bad roads are not just an inconvenience, they are a public health hazard and a moral failing of governance. In 2023, India recorded 4,64,029 road accident cases, up by 17,261 from 2022. That translated into 173,826 deaths, a 2.6-per cent jump from 2022, when 447,969 injuries were reported. In death toll alone, one Indian died every three minutes on the road. More shocking is the concentration of risk. Two-wheelers accounted for 45.8 per cent of deaths in 2023 (79,533 deaths), while pedestrians scored 15.9 per cent, 27,586 deaths.

National Highways, which make up a small percentage of total road length, bore a disproportionately high share of fatalities—34.6 per cent of deaths in 2023 occurred on these ‘premium’ roads. In graver terms, while National Highways make up 2-5 per cent of our roads, they witness (or are the cause of) nearly 33 per cent of all road-accident-related deaths. Comparatively, rural roads account for 68.5 per cent of deaths, though urban areas receive greater attention in the media.

The economic cost is staggering too. Global institutions claim India annually loses between 3 and 5 per cent of its GDP to road-accident costs and sub-standard transport infrastructure. Official Indian figures are not as high or grim, but what remains uniform is the fact that each pothole, each wash-out, each slick under-pass adds to the human toll and the unfathomable cost of lives interrupted, work lost, families shattered.

The Accountability Vacuum

Road failures are not acts of nature, but (f)acts of neglect, propelled by an opaque web of contractors, sub-contractors and errant officials. Contracts are often awarded to the lowest bidder, which all but ensures that quality and durability become the first casualty. Once the ribbon is cut and the photo-op is over, maintenance responsibility disappears into a systemic black-hole. Many roads lack lifecycle-planning, and there’s no assigned agency for post-handover upkeep, no independent audit, no public record of material standards, and no phone number for anyone to call if faults or damage occur.

Compared to India, where the authorities often blame rains for road damage, other tropical Asian countries seem to have found a magic wand to create roads that withstand heavier monsoons without giving in. The difference, then, lies not in the weather, but in accountability and enforcement. There is no unified national database in India of road contractors and their track record, no mechanism to query the antecedents of the road itself: “Which official signed off on its length and safety? What materials were used? Who inspects it annually?” Even details on how much toll is collected and how the revenue is spent are hidden.

In effect, India has built not a road system but a circular economy of impunity, where everybody but the taxpayer profits. That is an oxymoron of historic proportions, especially if one considers that the NHAI’s capital expenditure on highways in FY2023-24 was Rs 2.07 lakh crore, the highest ever, yet the structure beneath remains weak.

Are There Honest Roads?

Let’s look at the developed world. In the United Kingdom, the authorities maintain publicly-funded roads to defined service standards. Failure triggers penalties and, in many cases, to civil claims by affected motorists. In Japan, toll-roads publicly display not just the rates but the maintenance record and future upgrade schedule too. In the United States, citizens can track how much of their toll goes into maintenance, expansion and safety enhancement, using publicly-accessible dashboards.

A toll is a contract, a promise that the roads ahead and behind will be safe, smooth and maintained. If the government or contractor fails, the public has the right to seek refunds, compensation or accountability. In India, tolls seem have become a one-way transaction. Toll revenues are in the tens of thousands of crores each year, yet potholes persist, cracks appear within months, and even newly-opened stretches develop defects quite early in their anyway record-short lifespan. What Indians are facing then is a tragic inversion of modern authority; premium charges for primitive services.

The decay continues because the pain is democratic; it affects everyone equally and nobody specifically. For most people in power, roads are photo-ops before the hustings and liabilities afterwards. The average VIP’s convoy glides through traffic on meticulously-patched routes, while the general public is forced to swallow and digest everyday chaos. The contrast is glaring. The moral equation is broken. Public anger is justified. It is not just about potholes, it is about trust. It is about the erosion of faith.

Accountability, Not Asphalt

India doesn’t need more roads. It needs better roads, built under transparent systems that value commuter safety over contractor margins. A few reforms can help restore the balance. One, transparency: Details of road contracts must be accessible online. Tenders, expenditure, materials, contractors, supervisors and maintenance responsibilities should be updated. Two, quality assurance: Independent audits must be mandatory for all construction projects, with watchdogs verifying materials, drainage, signage, alignment and load-capacity. Three, maintenance: Once a road is opened, the responsibility for its upkeep should be clear, with built in contractual penalties if performance is found lagging.

End of day, India must adopt global best-practices and benchmarking, understanding that roads mirror any nation’s progress and growth. Smooth, well-lit highways reflect accountability and care; broken ones depict neglect and decay. India is at a moral crossroads—we can continue building more highways, or we can recognise that development begins not with more lanes, but with safer ones, even if they be fewer.

For too long, the public has paid for roads that are betraying them. It is time the equation changes. Tolls and taxes must guarantee safety, reliability and accountability. Every time a toll gate opens, the assumed promise is that the path ahead will be smooth, safe and under-watch. If that promise is broken, the fault lies not with the citizen, but with those who make and manage our roads. We need reform, and we need to remember that reform begins with responsibility. If India demands accountability for every road that is built, it will pave not just highways but also a more honest tomorrow.

He can be reached on [email protected]. Views expressed are personal. The writer is a veteran journalist and communications specialist