In response to the rising number of road accidents and related fatalities, a State Road Safety Council meeting was held on the third floor of the Lok Seva Bhawan on Thursday.
Bibhuti Bhushan Jena, Minister of Steel and Mines and Commerce and Transport, presided over the meeting, emphasizing the urgent need to identify and eliminate the causes of road accidents while raising awareness to reduce the accident rate.
Minister Jena directed participants to study various road safety issues, create public awareness, and impose strict punishments and fines on violators. Highlighting the value of every life, he stressed the importance of collective efforts to build safer homes by following the guidance of the Hon’ble Chief Minister.
Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja pointed out that accidents are increasing due to helmet-less riding and over-speeding. He advocated for strengthening the CCTV network, eliminating illegal parking, and providing immediate medical care to accident victims.
Development Commissioner Smt. Anu Garg proposed identifying black spots, banning underage driving, and increasing road safety awareness in rural areas. The meeting covered various topics, such as the current status of road accidents, identifying accident-prone areas, repairing bad roads, preventing drunk driving, and implementing urban and rural accident reduction measures.
The meeting noted that the Khurda, Sundargarh, Cuttack, Ganjam, and Keonjhar districts had the highest number of accidents in 2024. Discussions included implementing preventive measures in schools, hospitals, temples, and other crowded places to reduce accidents.
Attendees included Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Satyabrat Sahu, DG of Police, YB Khurania, Principal Secretary, C&T Dept, Smt. Usha Padhee, OSRTC CMD, Diptesh Patnaik, Transport Commissioner, Amitabh Thakur, Additional Commissioner of Police, Narasingha Bhol, National Highways Authority of India, and various departmental officers and members of the State Road Safety Council.
