Dehradun: The road safety audit work should be completed and the work to remove black spots on the road should also be expedited. Enforcement should be more effective and officers responsible for road accident should not be spared. A joint campaign of transport, police and administrative officers should be launched in the state from August 16. These instructions were given by Chief Secretary Utpal Kumar Singh to District Magistrates during a video conferencing meeting on road safety on Monday.
The Chief Secretary asked the District Magistrates to look into the causes of the accidents. He said that places where frequent accidents are taking place should be identified and the causes for accidents should be dealt it. A long term strategy should be adopted in this regard but for immediate remedial steps should also be taken.
He said that fitness certificate of vehicles should only be given by the experts. Public buses should be provided with GPS facilities and stickers with Whats Up number should be pasted so that in case of rash and negligent or drunken driving, the passengers can message to the concerned officers.
Secretary Transport Shailesh Bagoli informed that a monthly review meeting of road safety is held in the districts. He informed that due tyo strict enforcement, the number of accidents have come down during the January to June period. A total of 783 accidents had taken place during the period in 2017 which came down to 746 in 2018. A total of 50764 challans were issued and action were taken in 19774 cases of red light jumping, over loading, over speeding, talking on mobile phone while driving or drunken driving . Notices are being issued to install speed governors in the vehicles. A total of 319 alcoholmeters of police and 40 of transport are checking drunken driving on roads. The process of E-challaning is being introduced. A total of 937 black spots are being removed and crash barriers, signages have been installed at such spots. The overloading of school vehicles and other vehicles is being checked regularly. Helmets for pillion riders on two wheleers will be made compulsory soon. He informed that number of accidents in Champawat and Uttarkashi districts have come down drastically while effective enforcement drive has to be started in Pauri and Almora districts. DGP Anil Raturi, Principal Secretary Anand Vardhan, ADG Ashok Kumar and other officers were present.
