BHUBANESWAR: Enforcement of traffic laws and several corrective measures notwithstanding, Odisha has recorded a nine per cent rise in road fatalities last year as compared to the corresponding period of 2021.
The state has reported 4,908 deaths in 12,592 road accidents up to November 2022 as against 4,499 fatalities in 9,880 mishaps during the January-November period in 2021. As many as 9,379 people were injured last year and 8,867 during the same period in 2021.
Transport department sources said six districts - Dhenkanal, Bhadrak, Puri, Subarnapur, Deogarh and Nayagarh have seen a growth of 20 pc in road fatalities. More than 200 deaths have occurred in Sundargarh, Ganjam, Keonjhar, Khurda, Mayurbhanj, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Koraput and Jajpur.
A maximum of 378 people died in road accidents in Sundargarh, 376 in Ganjam, 349 in Keonjhar, 296 in Khurda, 289 in Mayurbhanj, 273 in Cuttack and 202 in Sambalpur. A drop in death cases has been reported from Balasore (from 201 to 191), Angul (from 171 to 140) and Kalahandi (from 136 to 129).
In the last one decade, about 45,000 people have lost their lives due to road accidents in the state. Worried over the constant rise in road fatalities, the state government has decided to observe every Tuesday as zero tolerance day against violation of traffic rules. It will be observed to create a sense of fear psychosis among the violators of traffic rules.
Every Tuesday, RTOs and police will conduct stringent enforcement, especially against speeding, drunken driving, wrong-side driving, using a mobile phone while driving, and violation of helmet and seatbelt law.
Principal Secretary of Commerce and Transport department Usha Padhee has asked officials of the districts recording high road fatalities to prepare an action plan for the reduction of accidents and fatalities. The state government has decided to observe ‘zero fatality week’ from April 1 to 7 as part of an intensified awareness campaign by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to reduce road deaths.
Padhee said precautionary measures need to be taken up immediately at the ground level to achieve the target of zero road fatality. All collectors have been asked to convene urgent meetings of district road safety committees to chalk out plans.
The measures to be taken include, the deployment of ambulances on highways at vulnerable locations, readiness of trauma care centres, deployment of manpower at the locations where roads are under construction, stringent enforcement, traffic calming measures and special drive to remove potholes on roads.