As many as 1.5 lakh people die every year in 5 lakh road accidents in the country, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said in lok Sabha today.
"It is very unfortunate that 1.5 lakh people die in around 5 lakh road accidents that take place in the country every year. Road engineering can also be partly blamed for these high number of accidents," he said during Question Hour.
Gadkari said the government has accorded highest priority in reducing the number of accidents and checking deaths on the road. He said more underpasses and over-bridges will be constructed in national highways which pass through villages and towns so that all such accidents could be checked. The Minister said 14,268 kms road are being converted into four-lane roads at a cost of `1,83,180 crore and the works will be completed by May 2019.