Potholes kill more in India than acts of terror, says judge

POTHOLES have killed more people in India than terrorist attacks in the past five years, Delhi’s Supreme Court says.

About 10 people die daily because of the country’s woeful road network.

Justice Madan B Lokur has said that 15,000 deaths in five years is unacceptable and that fatalities caused by potholes are “probably higher than those killed on the border or by terrorists”.

Figures show 14,926 people have died in pothole-related accidents from 2013 to 2017. In comparison, 803 were killed in terrorist attacks in 2017.

Two of his colleagues say the pothole-related fatalities suggest authorities are not maintaining roads as they should, adding that victims’ families are not compensated and have little recourse but to “live with the unforeseen tragedy due to lack of concern shown by the authorities”.