Udupi NH-66: MP warns of legal action over 22 black spots

By R K Goyal · 31 Oct, 2026

Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Kota Srinivas Poojary warned NHAI officials and contractors of legal action if maintenance lapses contribute to accidents on NH-66; 22 black spots need safety work.

Udupi NH-66: MP warns of legal action over 22 black spots

What happened: Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Kota Srinivas Poojary warned NHAI officials and highway contractors on 30 Oct 2026 that legal action could follow if poor maintenance contributes to accidents on NH-66. The warning matters to drivers because the meeting identified 22 accident-prone black spots in Udupi district and called for streetlights, signs, barricades and blinkers at those locations.

Key takeaways

The warning was issued at a 30 Oct review meeting at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Rajathadri, Manipal.
Reportedly affected NH-66 locations include Kota, Padubidri and Tekkatte, where officials discussed recurring accidents and fatalities.
Twenty-two black spots have been identified across the district; safety work is expected to include lighting, signboards, barricades and flashing lights.
The development is a local administrative warning, not a new nationwide toll rule or an automatic toll waiver.
Drivers can report highway hazards or seek emergency help through NHAI’s 1033 helpline and Rajmargyatra channels.

Illustrative image: a representative Indian highway junction with safety barriers and warning signs, not a photograph of the NH-66 meeting or a specific black spot.

What the NH-66 warning means

Daijiworld and Kemmannu reported that Poojary chaired a meeting with NHAI officials, engineers and contractors after concerns about accidents on the Udupi stretch of NH-66. He said contractors must do more than collect user fees: they also have to maintain the highway according to the applicable standards and take steps that support smooth and safe vehicle movement.

The reported warning was conditional. It was not an announcement that officials or contractors had already been prosecuted. Poojary said legal action could be taken if future accidents were linked to negligence in highway maintenance. That distinction matters for drivers: the meeting sets an accountability expectation, but it does not by itself change toll rates, introduce a new penalty for motorists or suspend toll collection.

22 black spots get a safety checklist

The reports identify 22 accident-prone black spots in Udupi district. Engineers and contractors were asked to work on these locations and other major junctions with measures such as streetlights, signboards, barricades, blinkers and other road-safety installations. The objective is to make hazardous points easier to see and more predictable for drivers, especially at night or where heavy traffic crosses local movements.

The meeting also covered service-road and lighting gaps. Work on the Ambagilu–LVT service road was described as being under way, with tree clearance and drainage work started. Officials were asked to complete service-road work at Nittoor, Tekkatte and Kumbhashi and open finished sections for public use after quality checks. The reports also said the streetlights at the Kalyanpur–Santekatte underpass were not functioning adequately and needed coordination between MESCOM and NHAI.

Why toll collection and maintenance are connected

NHAI’s Rajmargyatra portal says NHAI is responsible for the development, maintenance and management of National Highways entrusted to it. It also explains that concessionaires operate and maintain some tolled stretches while collecting user fees, and that NHAI engages operation, maintenance and user-fee contractors on other stretches.

That structure explains the concern raised at the Udupi meeting. A toll payment is a charge for use of a highway facility; it does not remove the operator’s or authority’s maintenance obligations. However, motorists should not assume that a reported maintenance failure automatically cancels a toll. Any toll dispute or safety complaint needs to be raised through the designated channels and assessed by the relevant authority.

What NH-66 drivers can do now

For a trip that uses the corridor, the toll-charge calculator can help estimate the user-fee portion of the journey. That estimate should be treated separately from possible delays caused by service-road works, junction improvements or traffic management.

Drivers planning a longer coastal Karnataka journey can use the road-trip planner to review the route and allow time for works near junctions. A route plan is not a substitute for a live traffic advisory, so conditions at the time of travel still matter.

If a hazard is visible, record the location as precisely as possible without stopping in an unsafe lane. NHAI says its 1033 helpline operates around the clock for medical emergencies, breakdowns, ambulance, crane and patrol assistance, toll-plaza issues and other highway problems. The government says the service covers more than 1.46 lakh km of National Highways and receives about 15,000 calls a day. Rajmargyatra also supports geo-tagged photos or videos for highway-related complaints and status tracking.

For fuel budgeting on a trip affected by a diversion or a longer service-road route, the fuel-cost calculator can show how a change in distance affects the estimated running cost. The result depends on the vehicle’s actual efficiency, fuel price and traffic conditions.

What changes next

The immediate test is implementation: whether the 22 black spots receive the promised visibility and traffic-control improvements, whether underpass lighting is restored, and whether pending service roads are completed with usable drainage and safe access. Drivers will also want to see whether NHAI and contractors publish updates or respond to location-specific complaints.

Separately, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said in September 2026 that NHAI plans to modernise the 1033 helpline with location tracking, multilingual assistance and smarter dispatch. That is a national service upgrade in the planning stage; it is separate from the Udupi warning and does not mean that the NH-66 safety works are complete.

Reader takeaway

For NH-66 users in Udupi, the practical change is closer scrutiny of road upkeep at known accident-prone points, not a new toll payment rule. Slow down near black spots and active works, use the official reporting channels when a hazard is observed, and check current conditions before setting out.