BHUBANESWAR: More than 18,000 deaths have been reported in the State during the last four years due to road accidents. Responding to a written question in the Assembly on Thursday, Minister for Commerce and Transport Padmanabha Behera said 40,852 accidents occured in the State from 2016 to September 2019. The mishaps have claimed 18,638 lives, he stated.
The Minister said 4,463 people lost their lives in road accidents in 2016 while the number of deaths increased to 4,790 in 2017. The number further increased in 2018 during which 5,315 people died. As many as 4,115 deaths due to road accidents have been reported by September, this year.
The Transport Minister said Sundargarh district recorded the highest number of 313 deaths in road accidents this year followed by Ganjam with 301. Behera, however, claimed that the rate of road accidents has slightly declined following the implementation of Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act.
Replying to a separate question, the Minister said 22.09 lakh vehicles, including 8.75 lakh two-wheelers, which are over 15 years old have been identified, of which 11.43 lakh are in running condition.