Gadkari’s 140 kmph no-challan proposal faces legal, road safety hurdles
Indian Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari's proposal to allow speeds up to 140 kmph on expressways faces significant legal and safety challenges. Experts argue that the current legal framework does not support this increase and that higher speeds could exacerbate India's high rate of road crash fatalities.
Why it matters
The debate pits infrastructure modernization goals against critical public safety concerns in a country with high traffic accident rates.
NEW DELHI: Road transport minister Nitin Gadkari’s recent announcement that he has asked authorities not to issue challans to cars travelling up to 20% above the prescribed speed limit on expressways — effectively allowing speeds of up to 140 kmph — cannot be implemented under the existing legal framework and may be detrimental to road safety, experts said.The announcement comes at a time when speeding remains the leading cause of road crashes and fatalities in India and globally. In India, more than 58% of road crash deaths (little over one lakh) in 2024 were attributed to speeding. Experts also pointed out that road infrastructure is not necessarily designed to safely accommodate cars travelling at 140 kmph.Speaking at a CII event on Tuesday, Gadkari said, “I was told that people are getting challans for speed violation on expressways for travelling little over 120 kmph.
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