NHAI Disputes Pothole Claims on NH-74, But TOI Inspection Reveals Damaged Road Surface
The National Highways Authority of India has officially contested reports of potholes on a stretch of National Highway-74 where a critically ill woman from Pilibhit reportedly revived after her ambulance hit a bump. In a letter issued on Wednesday, the authority asserted that the highway sections in the area are "pothole-free and traffic-worthy" and maintained according to prescribed standards.
TOI Team Documents Road Damage on Ambulance Route
However, a thorough inspection conducted by a TOI team on Thursday along the exact route taken by the ambulance from Bareilly to Pilibhit revealed a different reality. The team traveled through Rithaura, Hafizganj, and Nawabganj, documenting multiple damaged patches on the carriageway that included cracked surfaces and depressions resembling potholes.
Photographic evidence captured with GPS coordinates and timestamps clearly showed sections where the road surface appears uneven and broken. Some stretches of the highway were observed undergoing widening work, with traffic navigating partially completed sections and temporary surfaces at various points.
The Remarkable Recovery That Brought Attention to NH-74
The highway stretch gained national attention following the extraordinary account of 50-year-old Pilibhit resident Vineeta Shukla. According to her family, she began breathing again when the ambulance transporting her home from a Bareilly hospital jolted while passing over a rough patch of road.
Kuldeep Kumar Shukla, Vineeta's husband, provided a detailed account to TOI: "I had asked my family to prepare for her last rites. She was not breathing, there was only a sinking heartbeat. As the ambulance reached Hafizganj, it struck a large pothole and the vehicle moved violently. I noticed then that my wife started breathing normally again... I immediately informed my family to suspend all the funeral preparations, and rushed her to the Neurocity Hospital in Pilibhit."
Medical Professionals Describe Critical Condition
Dr. Kamal Jindal, who examined Vineeta at Medicity Hospital in Bareilly before her ambulance transfer, stated that there were "no reflexes in her brain and it was virtually inactive." When questioned about whether she had been certified as "brain dead," Dr. Jindal explained that medical facilities typically reserve that specific terminology for organ donation panels at medical colleges, though they use similar language to communicate grave conditions to families.
Dr. Rakesh Singh, the neurosurgeon at Neurocity Hospital in Pilibhit who treated Vineeta after she resumed breathing, provided additional medical context. He noted that her Glasgow Coma Scale—a 15-point neurological assessment tool—had plummeted to just three points, indicating deep coma, compared to the normal level of 15 points.
"The examination of her eyes induced mydriasis (dilation of pupils), indicating the death of her brain and constantly sinking signs of life," Dr. Singh explained. "It was definitely a brain dead-like situation. The only saving grace was that she had started breathing. Consequent treatment helped in her recovery, which was remarkable."
NHAI's Official Position and Construction Context
In its formal communication, NHAI clarified that the viral video related to the incident does not specifically attribute the woman's recovery to a pothole, noting it only shows she "suddenly regained her breath" during transport. The authority further explained that the Bareilly–Sitarganj section is currently under construction, with temporary traffic diversions implemented at certain locations in accordance with Indian Roads Congress guidelines.
Despite NHAI's assurances of a pothole-free highway, the visual evidence collected by TOI journalists presents a contrasting picture of road conditions on this critical national highway stretch that connects multiple districts in Uttar Pradesh.
