Government to launch national toll-free number to report road accidents on national highways

NEW DELHI: The government is all set to launch a national toll-free number to report road accidents on national highways (NHs) or lodge complaints with regard to their operation and maintenance. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is scheduled to launch the '1033' helpline in the first week of February.

"We have completed all the work related to this project. The aim is to provide quick help, rescue any accident victim, and take him/her to the nearest hospital. We are also collaborating with state governments for the deployment of ambulances along highways exclusively for our road users," NHAI chairman Deepak Kumar told TOI.

He added that a massive drive would be undertaken to popularise the toll-free number among road users. Sources said the Indian Highways Management Company Ltd (IHMCL), a subsidiary of the NHAI, had completed the geographic information system (GIS) mapping of the entire NH network.

This will help the call centre managing the incoming calls to locate the callers and transfer calls to operators conversant in the local language. An NHAI official said '1033' would be a onestop solution for highway users for emergency as well as non-emergency services.

He added that once an accident or any other emergency was reported to the call centre, the message would be immediately passed on to the nearest operation centre for action, including rushing an ambulance or crane to a site for immediate rescue.

Though the NHs constitute only about 2% of India's total road network, they account for 30% of the road accidents and more than onethird of road fatalities. In 2016, accidents on national highways claimed 52,075 lives and left 1.46 lakh people injured.

According to government reports, immediate medical help to accident victims can save 50% of the lives. NHAI officials also said the complaints received would be forwarded to the officials concerned for their redressal. "We have put in place an escalation matrix to deal with unresolved complaints," said an official.

National Highways Authority of India