BHUBANESWAR: As many as 43,312 people lost their lives in road accidents across Odisha during the last 10 years, implying that 12 people died everyday. In a written reply to a question from Dilip Ray (BJP), Minister of State for Commerce and Transport Nrusingha Charan Sahu said in the Assembly on Friday that 61,884 persons were severely injured in road mishaps between 2008 and September end.
There were 1,04,713 road accidents during the period, he said. The Minister said the Transport Department has also successfully cracked down on reckless drivers in the State. A fine of Rs 486 crore has been collected during the period for violating the Motor Vehicles Act.
Replying to a separate question from Ray, the Minister said Rs 2 crore was collected as fine from traffic violaters in the last decade. Similarly, the Department had also collected Rs 1.5 crore fine from people for driving without a license. The Minister said 82,762 driving licences have been cancelled in the last eight years due to repeated offences.