ACTING in compliance with directions of the Chhattisgarh High Court at Bilaspur in a writ petition concerning road safety, the Transport Department has intensified physical inspections and enforcement at identified accident-prone stretches across Raipur district. The action followed deficiencies and accident risks recorded during an earlier physical inspection by a Court-appointed Commissioner at Tatibandh, Bhatagaon, the Bemta-Bhumiya stretch, the Siltara overbridgeNECO Company Gate road and the Paragaon-Nisda turn. According to the action report, the Raipur transport flying squad inspected Tatibandh, where the curved junction was found prone to wrong-side driving. Drivers detected violating traffic rules were challaned and cautioned against repeating the offence. Similar enforcement was undertaken at Bhatagaon and on the Siltara overbridge-Niko Company Gate stretch. The report flagged a more serious road-safety concern on the Bemta-Bhumiya route adjoining the heavily travelled Raipur-Bilaspur main road.

 

Local residents had allegedly cut openings through the divider for convenient passage, creating a significant accident risk, particularly for two-wheelers. Enforcement action was taken against motorists using these unauthorised passages, while authorities initiated installation of iron barriers to prevent their continued use. At the sharply curved Paragaon-Nisda turn, where a passage had similarly been created by cutting the divider, officials conducted awareness activity among schoolchildren, residents and motorists, advising them to use the main road safely. The exercise was also carried out under the guidance of the Transport Commissioner’s office, with the Raipur flying squad combining enforcement with on-site public awareness measures. The continuing drive resulted in challans against 15 vehicles for wrong-side driving and unauthorised parking, with penalties totalling Rs 31,200, the report stated. The Transport Department said regular inspections, public-awareness measures and strict enforcement would continue in accordance with HC’s directions to address identified road-safety hazards and discourage dangerous traffic violations at vulnerable locations across Raipur.