10 minutes or ₹10,000 fine: NHAI sets new deadline for highway ambulances

New Delhi: Ambulances deployed on national highways will now have to reach an accident site within 10 minutes if it is located within a 10-km radius, under new response-time norms issued by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

The rule comes with a Rs 10,000 penalty for every incident where the prescribed response time is not met. NHAI has also set a one-hour deadline for ambulances to take accident victims to the nearest hospital after accepting an emergency ticket, with a Rs 10,000 penalty for failing to meet that timeline.

According to NHAI's new policy guidelines, an ambulance must cover an accident within a 10-km vicinity within 10 minutes from the time the emergency ticket is accepted.

For accident locations beyond 10 km, the permitted response time will increase proportionally. NHAI said compliance will be verified using GPS data and the Incident Management System (IMS) Care Dashboard.

Ambulance call rejection will also attract penalty

NHAI said an ambulance rejecting an emergency ticket will attract a Rs 10,000 penalty per incident.

The same penalty will apply if ambulances fail to carry the required equipment, medicines or staff as specified in their respective contracts.

The new norms are part of measures to strengthen the Incident Management System through the NHAI Care System and improve the deployment of on-road emergency units, including ambulances, cranes and patrolling vehicles.

GPS tracking for highway emergency vehicles

NHAI said AIS-140 compliant GPS devices have been installed on all on-road units deployed on NHAI projects. These include ambulances, cranes and patrolling vehicles.

Each unit has also been provided with a dedicated Android mobile device, or Mobile Data Terminal (MDT), with an IoT SIM to support the NHAI Care System.

There are around 3,000 ambulances and 1,000 patrolling vehicles and cranes covering approximately 50,000 km of highways under the NHAI.

The government has also rolled out the 1033 helpline across the National Highway network.

NHAI said delays in responding to road accidents have been flagged by the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety as well as in a performance audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).

The agency has directed its Project Directors and Regional Officers to ensure strict compliance with the new guidelines, citing their direct connection with public health and safety.

With PTI inputs