NEW DELHI: In a major move to improve road safety in Delhi, CM Arvind Kejriwal will oversee the government’s road-safety initiatives. This decision came to effect amid the government’s bid to further improve the safety standards of the city with increasing number of cases of road fatalities every year.
In addition, the Delhi government has also announced that it will tighten the enforcement of traffic norms and take strict action against violators. With these measures, the government aims to reduce the number of accidents on city roads and improve the safety of its citizens. The CM on Tuesday took stock of various projects and proposals during the meeting including diversion of compounding fees towards the Road Safety Fund and setting up of safe school zones.
He reviewed road accident data of Delhi, highlighting his concerns about overspeeding. He also discussed the Bus Lane Initiative by the enforcement branch of the Transport Department, road improvement projects and the strengthening of the golden hour treatment mechanism. The officials apprised the CM that the government has identified that 47 per cent of the accidents take place on national and state roads. As per the data, overspeeding is among the significant reasons behind accidents. High-risk locations for such accidents are often road sections passing through pedestrian-heavy areas such as schools, metro stations, and commercial areas.
The Delhi Government had recently conducted a study with John Hopkins University’s International Injury Prevention Unit & CSIR’s Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) to study road safety practices. Under this, observational studies were carried out in 15 locations, with 225 observation sessions and 20,250 minutes of observation.
‘52 lakh saplings to be planted this year’
New Delhi: The Delhi government on Tuesday organised a plantation drive targeting an increase in green cover to effectively reduce pollution in the city. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal attended the drive that saw the plantation of 20,000 saplings at Bela Farm in Shastri Park under the Green Action Plan 2023.
The Chief Minister said last year the Delhi Government had a target of planting 42 lakh saplings and it went on to exceed its target by planting 45 lakh saplings and this year it has increased its target to 52 lakh saplings and to fulfil this target withing the stipulated time the initiative was launched.