top of page
Search

Traffic Management in Vidarbha: Five-Year Data Reveals Best and Worst Cities

Traffic Management in Vidarbha: Five-Year Data Reveals Best and Worst Cities
Traffic Management in Vidarbha: Five-Year Data Reveals Best and Worst Cities

The roads of Vidarbha, a region in eastern Maharashtra, tell a tale of two contrasting realities. Over the last five years, some cities here have managed to rein in traffic accidents, while others have witnessed a troubling surge in road mishaps.


Official data paint a vivid picture of this divide. In 2022 alone, Vidarbha recorded over 4,500 road accidents, resulting in more than 2,000 deaths.


These numbers underscore how dire traffic management has become in parts of the region. The rising toll has spurred concern across the region, especially as new risk factors emerge. For instance, the opening of the high-speed Samruddhi Expressway through Vidarbha has been linked to a spike in crashes.


Buldhana district, along the expressway, saw many fatal accidents in 2023 after the highway became operational, contributing to a higher death count there. Yet, amid the grim statistics are also signs of progress in certain pockets.


Nagpur: Mounting Crises and Modern Solutions


Nagpur, the largest city of Vidarbha, has grappled with a persistent road safety challenge. The city saw a sharp drop in accidents in 2020 due to lockdowns, dropping from 1,007 crashes and 250 fatalities in 2019 to 773 crashes and 213 fatalities in 2020. However, as normal traffic resumed, the gains quickly reversed.


By 2021, Nagpur’s road accidents had climbed to 958, with 268 people killed, and in 202,2 the tally reached 1,080 accidents and 310 fatalities. This marked an almost 11% rise in crashes and a spike in deaths compared to the previous year.

Notably, an analysis of crashes found that over 95% of Nagpur’s 2022 accidents occurred on straight stretches of road rather than at curves or junctions. This suggests driver behaviour was a bigger factor than road design.


In fact, speeding alone caused 67 crashes in 2022 (claiming 31 lives), while wrong-side driving triggered 28 accidents (leading to 8 deaths), as per a central road ministry study.


City authorities have acknowledged the severity of the problem. Nagpur’s police commissioner Amitesh Kumar admitted that his force "failed to check road accidents" in the city, saying that they also "failed to ensure smooth movement of traffic".


He told the media at the start of 2023 that the police would focus on bringing down crashes and improving traffic flow.


True to that promise, Nagpur’s traffic department launched new initiatives. In July 2025, a special drive code-named “Operation U-Turn” targeted drunk driving and other violations. In just three weeks, it brought about a dramatic 62% drop in road accident deaths compared to the same period a year before.


According to Nagpur police data, fatal crashes fell from 40 in July 2024 to 15 in July 2025 after this crackdown. Senior officials attributed the success to rigorous nighttime enforcement, including checkpoints and heavy penalties for offenders, alongside efforts to instil a culture of road safety among citizens.


Technology is also being enlisted to untangle Nagpur’s traffic troubles. The city has embarked on a ₹197 crore Intelligent and Integrated Traffic Management System (IITMS) project to modernise its signals and surveillance.


In early 2025, the municipal corporation identified ten busy junctions for a pilot phase of AI-powered adaptive traffic lights in collaboration with a tech firm.

These smart signals adjust in real time to vehicle flow and are expected to reduce travel times by 28% to 48%, while boosting average speeds by over 45% to 62%. Once the pilot concludes successfully, all 161 traffic signals in Nagpur will be upgraded with sensors, cameras, and a centralised control centre.


This multi-pronged strategy, from enforcement drives to high-tech interventions, positions the city as a leader in traffic management innovation, even as it contends with a high accident rate.


Amravati: Alarming Spike in Fatalities


While Nagpur battles to improve, another major city in Vidarbha, Amravati, has emerged as a cautionary example of worsening road safety.


In recent years, Amravati’s traffic management appears to be faltering under the weight of rising accidents.


Data indicates that in the first seven months of 2023, the combined urban and rural areas of Amravati saw 690 road accidents, up from 660 in the same period of 2022.

This upward trend in crashes is concerning in itself, but even more troubling is the explosion in fatalities within the city.


From January to July 2022, Amravati city recorded 59 road deaths. In the same period of 2023, that figure skyrocketed to 224 deaths in 313 accidents. Such a drastic surge suggests that multiple mass-casualty crashes struck the city in 2023, pushing its death toll to an unprecedented level.


The pattern in Amravati’s rural areas has been oddly reversed. The rural parts of the district, crisscrossed by highways, saw 220 fatalities in the first seven months of 2022 (a grim count likely driven by highway crashes), but this number plunged to 45 deaths in the corresponding period of 2023.


An interpretation is that some of the worst accidents shifted from the highways into the city, overwhelming Amravati’s urban roads and enforcement capacity.


Regardless of the reasons, the net result is that Amravati stands out as one of the worst performers in Vidarbha when it comes to traffic safety.

The city has not been in the news for any major traffic improvement campaigns or technological upgrades, unlike Nagpur.


Local authorities have faced criticism for failing to curb speeding and drunken driving, and for poor road conditions at accident-prone spots. The data-driven reality is stark: without significant intervention, Amravati’s roads have grown more dangerous each year, underscoring an urgent need for focused traffic management measures.


Chandrapur: A Bright Spot in Road Safety Efforts


Not all cities in Vidarbha have seen negative trends. The district of Chandrapur offers a contrasting narrative, one of gradual improvement in traffic safety metrics.


Chandrapur, an industrial town in the region, was once among the areas with a high road accident toll. In 2022, the district suffered 434 road accident fatalities, a number comparable to the bigger cities.


However, by 2023, a notable turnaround was evident. Chandrapur recorded a nearly 20% decline in road crash deaths, with fatalities dropping to 349 over the year.

This improvement made Chandrapur one of the best-performing areas in Maharashtra in terms of reducing traffic deaths, a fact highlighted in state transport department data alongside Mumbai’s own progress.


Traffic officials attribute Chandrapur’s positive trajectory to intensified safety measures and enforcement.


Although not as high-tech as Nagpur’s approach, the local administration reportedly took steps such as identifying accident-prone “black spots” on highways and upgrading signage and street lighting.


Police enforcement against drunk driving and speeding was stepped up on key road stretches, and public awareness campaigns about road safety were conducted in markets and industrial zones. While detailed studies are still needed, the outcome is encouraging. Chandrapur’s success was among the most impressive statewide.


Its reduction in fatalities was second only to Mumbai’s 23% decline in 2023, according to government records. It demonstrates that a concerted focus on traffic management, even with limited resources, can save lives. Chandrapur’s relative success provides a hopeful counterpoint to the challenges seen in Nagpur and Amravati.


The divergent experiences of Vidarbha’s cities over the past five years underscore the critical importance of traffic management.


On one hand, Nagpur’s struggle with rising accidents and its subsequent push for innovative solutions show that political will and technology can begin to address the crisis, albeit belatedly.


On the other hand, Amravati’s sobering spike in fatalities is a reminder that without sustained enforcement and infrastructure improvements, road safety can rapidly deteriorate. Meanwhile, the example of Chandrapur offers evidence that steady gains are possible through targeted efforts.


As thousands continue to lose their lives on the region’s roads, the successes and failures of these cities provide valuable lessons.

For policymakers and citizens alike, these patterns cannot be ignored. The challenge now is for the entire region to emulate the best practices and urgently tackle the worst problem areas, so that safer travel does not remain a tale of two cities but becomes a reality for all in the coming years.


References


About the Author

The NewsDirt is a trusted source for authentic, ground-level journalism, highlighting the daily struggles, public issues, history, and local stories from Vidarbha’s cities, towns, and villages. Committed to amplifying voices often ignored by mainstream media, we bring you reliable, factual, and impactful reporting from Vidarbha’s grassroots.

bottom of page