Rs 38,000 Cr Spent on National Highways in J&K Over Five Years, Parliament Informed | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: The Centre has spent more than Rs 37,851 crore on the development and maintenance of National Highways in Jammu and Kashmir over the last five years, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways told the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

In a written reply to an unstarred question, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a sharp rise in highway spending after 2020-21. The Union Territory received Rs 2,932 crore in 2020-21, Rs 6,817 crore in 2021-22, Rs 7,370 crore in 2022-23, Rs 10,528 crore in 2023-24 and Rs 10,331 crore in 2024-25, with actual expenditure closely tracking allocations each year. The figures were shared as part of a State and Union Territory-wise statement on National Highway development and maintenance.

The ministry said National Highway expansion in Jammu and Kashmir has focused on capacity augmentation, connectivity to remote areas and integration with the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan. Over the last five years, multiple projects involving widening of existing highways to four-lane and six-lane standards, strengthening of mountain corridors, tunnel approaches and realignment of vulnerable stretches have been awarded and taken up.

These works have added significant kilometre length to the improved National Highway network in the Union Territory, while also upgrading large portions of existing roads to higher specifications to ensure all-weather connectivity, particularly in snow-bound and landslide-prone regions. The Centre said project awards and construction activity in J&K have steadily increased year-on-year, reflecting its strategic and economic importance.

Jammu and Kashmir saw a fluctuating but substantial addition to its National Highway network over the last five years, with 248 km added in the first year, followed by an increase to 287 km in the second year, before dropping to 120 km in the third year, rising again to 244 km in the fourth year, and tapering to 77 km in the fifth year, reflecting varying project cycles, terrain-related challenges and phased completion of major highway works in the Union Territory. The total National Highway length added over the five years is 976 km.

Over the last five years, National Highways in Jammu and Kashmir recorded a total of 8,920 accidents and 1,508 fatalities, highlighting serious and persistent road safety concerns in the Union Territory. In the first year, 1,899 accidents were reported, resulting in 268 deaths. This was followed by a sharp increase to 2,378 accidents in the second year, while fatalities marginally declined to 259. In the third year, accidents remained high at 2,342, with fatalities rising to 294, indicating increased crash severity. The fourth year saw accidents fall to 2,120 and fatalities decline to 271. However, the fifth year showed an unusual trend, with accidents dropping sharply to 181 even as fatalities surged to 416, pointing to fewer but significantly more lethal crashes.

On road safety, the ministry informed Parliament that accidents and fatalities on National Highways in Jammu and Kashmir, as in other States and UTs, are multi-causal. The primary factors identified include human error, such as over-speeding and reckless driving, difficult road geometry in hilly terrain, adverse weather conditions, and vehicle-related issues. State-wise data on the number of accidents and fatalities reported on National Highways during each of the last five years has been compiled and shared with Parliament in an annexure. The ministry said these trends are being closely analysed to guide targeted interventions, including engineering improvements, signage, black-spot rectification and stricter enforcement.

The Centre also highlighted the increasing role of technology in improving highway safety. Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS), which include AI-based video incident detection and electronic enforcement tools, have already been installed along about 19,000 km of National Highways nationwide. While earlier these systems were implemented as part of individual projects, the government has now shifted to a region-wise rollout of ATMS on all four-lane and above National Highways in a phased manner to ensure integrated traffic management and faster emergency response.

Separately, the ministry said National Highway investment in Ladakh has risen steadily since its formation as a Union Territory. Allocations increased from Rs 24 crore in 2020-21 to Rs 794 crore in 2024-25, aimed at improving strategic connectivity and access in the high-altitude region.

The details were provided by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in response to a Lok Sabha question on National Highway funding, expansion, road safety and deployment of advanced traffic management systems across the country.