Deaths due to poor road infrastructure in the country have increased manifold over the past several years. Alarming figures on pothole-related deaths were disclosed in a written reply filed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in the Lok Sabha on Thursday (12th February).
According to the data presented in the Lok Sabha, 9,438 lives were lost due to potholes over five years between 2020 and 2024. Uttar Pradesh accounted for 54% these deaths, with 5,127 fatalities. In 2024 alone, Uttar Pradesh recorded 1,369 pothole-related deaths, which is more than half the national total. In 2023, the state recorded 1,320 pothole-related deaths compared to 1,030 in 2022.
Notably, several states and Union Territories, including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Goa and Chandigarh, reported zero pothole-related road crashes, injuries, and deaths, raising questions on the manner of recording of such data in these states and UTs. The annual pothole-related deaths dropped slightly from 1,555 in 2020 to 1,481 in 2021. However, the death toll spiked to 1,856 in 2022, 2,161 in 2023, and 2,385 in 2024.
Among the states, Madhya Pradesh recorded the second-highest pothole-related deaths at 969 between 2020 and 2024, with 277 deaths recorded in 2024 alone. It was followed by Tamil Nadu with 612, Odisha with 425, Punjab with 414 and Assam with 395 pothole-related deaths. Among the Union Territories, Delhi recorded 50 deaths in the said period.
The data drawn from state police reports showed that nationally, 23,056 pothole-related accidents were reported during this period, which resulted in 19,956 injuries. 9,670 out of these were classified as “grievous injuries.”
Road accident-related numbers for 2025 have not yet been released by the ministry.
The ministry’s answer to the parliament also stated that an amount of over ₹65,000 crore has been allocated during this time period for Maintenance & Repair of National Highways.
