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On October 24, 2017, during a visit to the United States, Shivraj Chouhan, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, said “When I got down at Washington Airport & travelled on roads, I felt roads in MP are better than US.”



Chouhan’s claim is flawed. In 2016, 81 were killed and 749 injured in MP due to 609 accidents caused by potholes, fourth highest among states, according to Road Accidents in India 2016, an August 2017 report issued by the ministry of road transport and highways.

Source: Road Accidents in India 2016

On dirt roads MP reported 6,708 accidents, second highest among states.

Source: Road Accidents in India 2016

Madhya Pradesh reported 53,972 road accidents, or 148 every day in 2016, second highest among states, IndiaSpend reported on September 21, 2017.

Nationwide, 29 accidents per day, or one accident every 50 minutes, were reported due to potholes between 2013 and 2015, IndiaSpend reported on July 22, 2017.

(Saha is an MA Gender and Development graduate from the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex.)

Devanik Saha