Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has instructed officials not to issue traffic challans to motorists travelling at speeds up to 120 kmph on India’s expressways.
The minister also called for a 20 per cent tolerance margin above prescribed speed limits during an address at the Confederation of Indian Industry’s National Conference on ‘Highways of India’s Future: Smart, Safe and Sustainable’ on 27 October.
The directive means that on expressways with a 100 kmph limit, drivers travelling at speeds up to 120 kmph would not face penalties, as the 20 per cent buffer effectively raises the enforcement threshold.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways announced that motorists will no longer face automatic fines unless their speed exceeds the limit by more than 20 per cent, designed to make traffic enforcement more practical and aligned with real-world driving conditions.
However, the announcement has raised questions about whether motorists can disregard posted speed limits.
Drivers should verify regulations and official instructions before assuming that exceeding posted limits will not attract penalties.
Whilst offering relief to drivers on speeding enforcement, Gadkari simultaneously warned of strict penalties, including blacklisting, for contractors and officials responsible for poor highway quality.
The minister said the government had intensified highway monitoring using Network Surveillance Vehicles to assess road conditions and detect defects, with quality-related problems declining by 30 per cent since closer monitoring began.
