BHUBANESWAR: The next time you halt at a traffic signal and see transgenders approaching your vehicle, resist the urge to simply ignore them as they may have an important safety lesson for you.
The Transport department, in a unique initiative, has decided to engage members of the LGBTQ community in the upcoming zero accident day (ZAD), an all-inclusive women-led campaign, which aims at sensitising commuters on road safety.
For the purpose, it has asked the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities department and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) to select about 50 volunteers from the LGBTQ community to create awareness during the 23-day-long initiative which will be launched soon.
A Transport department official said their purpose to engage transgenders for road safety awareness is because they have a high visibility in urban areas. “This will also instil a positive perception towards LGBTQ members who are often found requesting for alms at traffic signals or engaged in prostitution,” he said adding, the ZAD campaign will also include people from other walks of life.
He said the initiative will also help bring the transgenders into the mainstream. They will display placards having message on road safety at important intersections and on the highways in the city, the official added.
“They were earlier appointed as traffic volunteers in Bhubaneswar and the government is mulling to implement the same scheme here again,” said transport commissioner, Amitabh Thakur.
This apart, the Transport department has also planned to engage ‘gig’ workers - food delivery executives and drivers of online cab/bike aggregators to spread awareness on road safety among the citizens here. The agents will deliver food to the customers in bags with zero accident day imprinted on them.
During the campaign, police will carry out strict enforcement at all important intersections in the city which usually witness various traffic violations. Transport department has also asked Excise officials to direct the liquor-off shops to display a printed message for customers to avoid drunk-driving when the campaign is underway.
The concept of ZAD campaign has been designed by IIT-Madras, which is the technical consultant of the Odisha government on road safety matters. “ZAD is not just a seasonal campaign. We envision it as an initiative to catalyse long-term societal change. The all-inclusive, women-led campaign, is designed to unite every section of the society to ensure that all road users return home safely,” said head of RBG Labs, IIT-Madras, professor Venkatesh Balasubramanian.