SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has 73 accident-prone black corridors on National Highways, while Ladakh has one, according to data based on 2023–2025 accident records and placed by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
The corridors were identified in real time using artificial intelligence-based tools developed by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, based on data from the Electronic Detailed Accident Report (e-DAR), Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Jairam Gadkari said in a written reply.
JK’s 73 black corridors account for about 1.15 per cent of the 6,358 such corridors identified nationwide. The Union Territory has fewer black corridors than several other States, including Himachal Pradesh’s 11, Punjab’s 31 and Uttarakhand’s 49, but more than Ladakh, which has one.
Nationally, Tamil Nadu recorded the highest number of black corridors at 958, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 671, Karnataka 607, Maharashtra 477, Kerala 386 and Andhra Pradesh 384. Telangana had 347, while Rajasthan recorded 352.
The Ministry said black corridors are continuous stretches on National Highways that meet specified criteria based on the occurrence of accidents involving fatalities and grievous injuries.
The government said rectification of such corridors is a continuous process, with immediate measures including road markings, improved signage, crash barriers, road studs, delineators, closure of unauthorised median openings, traffic calming measures and highway lighting.
Long-term corrective measures include improvements in road geometry and junctions, spot widening of carriageways and construction of underpasses and overpasses, depending on site requirements. Such works may also involve land acquisition, forest clearances and shifting of utilities, which can affect implementation timelines.
The Ministry clarified that there is no separate allocation of funds specifically for black spot rectification. Such works are undertaken either as part of ongoing National Highway development projects or through standalone projects.
For Jammu and Kashmir, the Centre allocated Rs 6,817 crore for National Highway development and maintenance in 2021-22, with the entire amount shown as expenditure. The allocation increased to Rs 7,370 crore in 2022-23, Rs 10,528 crore in 2023-24, Rs 10,331 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 8,083 crore in 2025-26. Expenditure in those years stood at Rs 7,370 crore, Rs 10,528 crore, Rs 10,204 crore and Rs 7,999 crore respectively.
For the current financial year up to June 30, 2026, JK was allocated Rs 1,846 crore, of which Rs 1,484 crore had been spent.
Ladakh received Rs 352 crore in 2021-22, Rs 574 crore in 2022-23, Rs 658 crore in 2023-24, Rs 794 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 338 crore in 2025-26, with expenditure of Rs 352 crore, Rs 574 crore, Rs 658 crore, Rs 768 crore and Rs 333 crore respectively. For 2026-27 up to June 30, Ladakh had an allocation of Rs 70 crore, against which Rs 20 crore had been spent.
The Ministry did not provide a separate project-wise breakup in the reply for the 73 black corridors in JK or the single corridor in Ladakh, including the number of works tendered, under construction or completed. It also did not provide a separate assessment of accident reduction following rectification works for the two Union Territories.
The government said the remaining black corridors would be addressed through the ongoing process of short- and long-term corrective measures, with works taken up according to site requirements and either integrated into National Highway projects or executed separately.
