PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Chief secretary Anand Bardhan has directed the officials to take immediate corrective action in areas where poor road conditions and design flaws are increasing the likelihood of accidents.
Chairing the State Road Safety Monitoring Committee meeting on Wednesday, Bardhan reviewed the accident situation, road safety measures and work on black spots. He stressed the need for coordinated and timely action to reduce road accidents.
Bardhan said accident causes must be scientifically analysed with special focus on road design, geometrics and other technical deficiencies. He called for prioritising road safety audits and setting up teams for regular audits of bus stands. Suggestions emerging from audits should be taken seriously and corrective measures implemented promptly, he added.
The CS directed the Transport and Police departments to strictly enforce helmet use for two-wheeler riders and to regularly review enforcement actions against traffic violations.
Bardhan also sought an update on instructions given earlier to the Forest Department and Public Works Department regarding bamboo trees and installation of crash barriers and parapets on mountain roads. He asked departments to study best road safety practices adopted in other States and explore their implementation in Uttarakhand.
He directed third-party road safety audits of black spots and accident-prone locations and said that work on black spot repairs must be expedited and completed within the stipulated time frame.
CS said meetings of district-level road safety committees should be held regularly and minutes uploaded to the relevant portal. He directed the Transport secretary to continuously monitor road safety activities and ensure inter-departmental coordination. He also called for sensitisation camps and joint workshops by Police, Health and Transport departments on post-accident rescue. Road safety campaigns should be run in campaign mode every two to three months, not as a formality and an annual publicity plan should be prepared. He also directed that road safety awareness films be screened in local cinemas.
Bardhan directed the Transport department to share details of pending hit-and-run cases with District Magistrates, who were asked to personally review and expedite resolution.
