GUWAHATI: Assam has recorded steep increase in cases of violation of road safety norms. As per the data available with the Lead Agency of Road Safety 43,693 offence cases have been registered from April to September, 2019 against 19,474 cased in 2018.
There has been 170% increase in collection of Compounding Fee from April to November for the year 2019-20 with that of 2018-19 from Rs. 11.07 crores to Rs. 29.88 crores.
Assam’s Transport Minister and Chairman, State Road Safety Council (SRSC), Chandra Mohan Patowary, chaired a road safety meeting at Janata Bhawan here to review the action taken by the stakeholders on implementation of road safety laws.
The officials of the NHAI and NHIDCL updated the Minister that rumble strips with solar blinkers and road markings, have been laid at many places including Tetelia Tri-junction, NH-37, median opening near Raddison Blu, near Excel Care Hospital and Somnath Temple, tri-junction point of Assam Engineering College, median opening near Banekuchi School and Bazar near Nalbari, NH-37.
Meanwhile, projects for flyovers in vulnerable areas in the state like Basistha Chariali, Garchuk, Lokhra inGuwahati, BRPL in Bongaigaon and Dibrugarh have been approved and construction would soon begin.
The issue of parking problem in the vicinity of Bogibeel Bridge over the Brahmaputra in Dibrugarh was resolved by providing round the clock patrolling of police as well as erecting of sign boards of ‘No Parking’, ‘No Selfie’, ‘No Halting Zone’ etc.
Minister Patowary asked Adil Khan, Commissioner, Transport to instruct Deputy Commissioners, Superintendent of Police along with the District Transport Officers to conduct awareness campaigns like street plays in the vulnerable areas to sensitize the local people on road safety.
Deepak Kumar, Additional Director General of Police (T&AP) said that traffic police and a pool of volunteers would be trained as first responders at the accident sites. He also added that 84 existing Police Stations, Police Outposts in the entire stretch of National and State Highways would be integrated with CCTVs, interceptors and laser speed guns as enforcement measures.
Dr. KK Dwivedi, Commissioner and Secretary, Transport Departmentstated that apart from the Civil Hospitals which have been notified as Trauma Centres, the nearest government or private hospital from the notified vulnerable areas must also be declared as Trauma Centres, with adequate infrastructure and manpower. Health Department will also send doctors, nurses and para-medical staff for undergoing training on trauma care at AIIMS, New Delhi.
Mapping of government and private ambulances to one emergency number will also be done by the Road Safety Lead Agency. E-Challan Device pilot project has been undertaken in Kamrup Metro, Kamrup, Dibrugarh, and Silchar in Assam. A total 348 e-challan devices have been procured for strengthening enforcement activities in the respective districts.