Govt may fine road agencies for mishaps

Road owning agencies and those involved in designing, implementation and maintenance would have to cough up Rs 1 lakh for any death in a crash due to the road condition. The penalty would be Rs 50,000 in case a road crash victim is disabled. These are some of the finalized provisions that the Road Transport Ministry has incorporated in the Road Transport and Safety Bill sources said. ´For this first time the provision of holding road agencies responsible for their fault has been included,´ said a government source. As per the proposed norm, the government agency or contractor responsible for the design, construction and maintenance of the safety standards of a road shall follow the standards as determined by the national authority that would be set up.