Speed’s good, but not enough

On June 2, 2023, the world watched in shock as three trains collided in the Balasore district of Odisha, in eastern India. 289 people died in the crash, and over 1,175 were injured. It was India’s deadliest railway crash since the Firozabad rail collision in 1995 and the world’s deadliest rail disaster since the 2004 Sri Lanka tsunami train accidents. The reality is that we should be writing about the people who died—their names, personal histories, hopes, and aspirations—but this is about the shocking lack of safety in much of the physical infrastructure in India. While many accidents are happening across the country, India is proudly touting the overhaul of its roads and railways, which, according to economists, will make it richer and much better connected. Another Vande Bharat Express was ready to be launched with much fanfare on the day of the Balasore accident. But in reality, much of this development is happening too fast and with perfunctory consideration for social, safety, and environmental safeguards.

Closer to home, more than 80 people have already lost their lives in accidents on the newly opened 10-lane Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway. The 118-km NHAI expressway, which aims to reduce the journey from 3.5 hours to 1.5 hours, was already witness to heavy vehicular movement before its inauguration. More than 335 accident cases have been reported. All this within six months of its much-celebrated inauguration. The speed of vehicles on the highway has increased to 120–140 kmph, but there is no traffic management in place to control speed over the many bridges, flyovers, etc. Additionally, the service roads, originally planned for access to the adjoining villages and towns, have turned into extra lanes to accommodate high-speed traffic, causing more accidents. This is a growing concern.

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Furthermore, towns like Channapatna and Maddur, famous for their wooden toys and vadas, respectively, have steadily lost tourists and visitors, causing significant losses to the livelihoods of vendors along the highways. Roadside shops have been removed to make room for the highway, and as they are usually classified as encroachments, they are not entitled to compensation. Those with livelihoods tied to tourism and pilgrimage along the highway have been hit hard. Job losses and safe access to towns along the highway were obviously not accounted for when the plans for the expressway were drafted.

The reality is that livelihoods, safety, social behaviour, and environmental aspects have been neglected in the scramble for higher-speed transportation. There are villages along expressways where residents have died trying to cross to their fields. Such problems exist across the country and arise because the costs of access roads and bypasses are high. There are always villages and towns that do not have access roads, exits, or bypasses, and each situation has its own complex impact.

While the expressway is a part of the western lifestyle, its high-speed model comes with ramifications that have huge ecological and social costs in densely populated countries like India.

In 2022–23, India saw the most significant increase ever in the allocation for the NHAI, an over 100% hike in the budget estimate, implying a very rapid expansion of highways. This only means that we need a more nuanced approach to the development of infrastructure in this country. Yes, we have the money, and yes, we have the technology and skills to implement massive high-speed infrastructure, but we also need to be more sensitive to the larger issues such as access, safety, livelihoods, and emergency care associated with this physical infrastructure.

Across the country, environmental and social issues are being raised. The Himalayan region is witness to serious harm to the environment, especially during highway construction. Little is being done to compensate the villagers. Communities are rarely consulted in the construction process. Deadlier is the spate of ecological disasters that have affected the region, causing innumerable deaths over the last decade. For the 900-km Char Dham project in Uttarakhand, over two lakh trees were lost. Every day, we hear of animals like elephants losing their lives on new highways.

People facing environmental damages, economic hardships, and social costs are not new, but as more funds are poured into highway building, this will only worsen unless there is a correction. The National Green Tribunal has instructed the NHAI to strengthen its capacity to prevent and monitor environmental damage while executing projects. This is a start, but just that. Measures to minimise the social and environmental effects of highway development need to be incorporated into the planning process. Pre-project assessments and community consultations are crucial to this process. People are slowly becoming aware of the devastating effects of poor safety, social, and environmental safeguards to infrastructure development and are protesting to demand justice.

(The writer is an urban planner based in Bengaluru)