“A road accident breaks the financial backbone of an entire family,” said Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre, Chairperson of the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety (Former Supreme Court Judge of India), New Delhi, while presiding over the joint meeting on road safety, on Saturday. The joint meeting in the conference hall of the Collectorate located at the District Headquarters in Durg, was also attended by Commissioner SN Rathore and Collector Richa Prakash Choudhary. At the beginning of the meeting, a PowerPoint presentation by the Police Department highlighted the condition of roads and the causes of accidents in the district. Additionally, information was provided regarding the black spots identified by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the corrective measures being taken. Discussions were held in the meeting to develop an ideal model to prevent road accidents that affect the financial situation of families. Steps will be taken to control transportation of delivery vehicles at rural weddings, improve all roads, including municipal roads, and promote public transport.

 

Efforts will be made to increase public transport in schools. Arrangements for buses for students in all schools, as well as mandatory helmets for two-wheeler drivers and seat belts for four-wheeler drivers in schools, colleges, and offices, will be ensured. Other important points to prevent road accidents were also discussed, including strict action against pressure horns. Measures will be taken to control the movement of stray animals on roads, with arrangements made in villages and cowsheds, and emphasis placed on making all roads in the district high-quality. Cameras will be installed for penalizing drivers who exceed the prescribed speed limits. Checks will be conducted on vehicle drivers. Nodal officers will be appointed in schools and colleges to ensure the mandatory use of helmets by students and seat belts for four-wheeler drivers. It will be mandatory for all government and non-government office employees to wear helmets while riding two-wheelers and seat belts during four-wheeler rides.

 

Notices will be sent via SMS and mobile phones to those whose licenses have expired, urging them to renew their licenses on time. Mandatory provision of helmets by dealers when purchasing new two-wheeler vehicles will be ensured. Traffic parks will also be established to raise awareness among the general public about road safety and traffic rules. The Health Department was directed to provide immediate treatment (golden hour) to those affected by road accidents. In the meeting, DSP Traffic Satish Thakur informed that based on the fatal/serious road accidents that occurred in 2021, 22, and 23, 8 road sections have been identified as black spots for reducing road accidents and mortality rates according to the defined standards by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for 2024. He also mentioned that physical verification of roads and a review of the causes of accidents have been conducted for improvement works on the above-mentioned roads.

 

Additionally, he informed that after the completion of improvement works on the 6 roads previously identified as black spots in the district, there has been no recurrence of fatal/serious road accidents, so they have been removed from the list of black spots defined by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for 2024. Collector Richa Prakash Choudhary assured Justice Sapre on behalf of the district administration that his directives will be implemented by the officials in ensuring road safety initiatives. The meeting was attended by Municipal Commissioner Devesh Dhruv from Bhilai Municipal Corporation, Commissioner Lokesh Chandrakar from Durg Municipal Corporation, District Transport Officer Shailabh Sahu, and Traffic DSP Satish Thakur, along with officials from the Public Works Department, National Highways, Health, Education, and Police Departments.