BHUBANESWAR: The Zero Fatality Week launched by the state Transport department on Tuesday saw a whopping 44,746 e-challans issued for various traffic violations on the very first day.
The special road safety campaign, aimed at reducing accidents and fatalities, will be observed in the first week of every month from September, 2026 to March, 2027.
Launched under the direction of Commerce and Transport minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena, the drive is part of the efforts to ensure strict compliance with road safety rules and bring down the number of road accidents in the state.
Officials said of the total challans issued on Tuesday, 25,282 were for not wearing helmets, 4,160 for over speeding, 1,383 for triple riding and 1,216 for driving without valid insurance.
Another 703 violators were penalised for not wearing seat belts, 549 for operating vehicles without permits, 157 for driving in the wrong direction and 91 for driving under the influence of alcohol. More than 500 challans were issued for other violations of motor vehicle rules.
Among regional transport offices (RTOs), around 571 challans were issued in Jharsuguda, 516 in Cuttack, 511 in Puri, 415 in Ganjam and 1,410 in Bhubaneswar. On the opening day of the Zero Fatality Week, counselling sessions were also held for drivers at several places, including special awareness programmes organised jointly by the Transport department and drivers’ associations in Sonepur, Bhadrak, Talcher and Jajpur, said officials.
The department also released a blueprint for developing various cities of the state, including Bhubaneswar, as ‘ideal road safety towns’.
As per the blueprint, over 66 per cent people who die in road accidents in the state are aged between 18 and 45 years. Not wearing helmets and seat belts and high-speed driving have emerged as the main reasons for the rise in fatalities.
Road Safety Drive
Of the total challans issued, highest 25,282 were issued for not wearing helmets
Around 1,410 challans were issued in Bhubaneswar
Counselling sessions were held for drivers and road users
Stress laid on road engineering, emergency medical response, accident-prone stretches and black spots