NHAI sets 10-min ambulance response, ₹10,000 penalty for delay

NHAI operates roughly 3,000 ambulances and 1,000 patrolling vehicles and cranes across about 50,000 km of national highway. Under the new service-level benchmarks, any emergency ticket rejection by an ambulance also triggers a ₹10,000 fine. Equipment, medicines and staffing must comply with contract agreements, or another ₹10,000 penalty applies.

To enforce the rules, NHAI has installed AIS-140 compliant GPS devices on all on-road units. Each unit also received a dedicated Android mobile device with an IoT SIM card, functioning as a mobile data terminal. The government has rolled out a nationwide helpline number, 1033, across the NH network.

"All Project Directors and Regional Officers are directed to ensure strict compliance of the guidelines being issued vide this circular as the same concerns the Public Health and Safety and any laxity in this regard shall not be overlooked," NHAI said.

The policy aims to strengthen the Incident Management System through the NHAI Care System, which dispatches ambulances, cranes and patrolling vehicles based on incident location data.