BHUBANESWAR: Perturbed over rising road accident deaths in the state, the Odisha government has urged the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to make the provisions of intelligent enforcement management system (IEMS) mandatory in the scope of expansion works of all highways.
Stating that as many as 1.68 lakh people lost their lives in India due to road accidents and many suffered debilitating injuries, principal secretary of Commerce and Transport Usha Padhee has requested Union secretary of Road Transport and Highways Anurag Jain to take immediate steps for inclusion of IEMS in the scope of work or estimate of construction for improvement of roads.
While 5,467 people died in Odisha in 2022, as many as 5,696 deaths were reported in 2023. Road accidents had claimed 4,738 lives in 2020 and 5,081 lives in 2021. The fatality growth rate stood at 7.6 per cent and 7.2 per cent in 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Although there is a rise in the number of fatalities last year as compared to 2022, the rate of growth in fatalities as compared to the number of accidents has dropped in Odisha. The state government has put in place multifaceted efforts to reduce the number of road accidents and fatalities, she said.
As per the road accident statistics, 1,606 fatalities occurred on national highways (NHs) under the jurisdiction of NHAI, which is about 30 per cent of total fatalities in 2022 in the state. It is also observed that 72 pc of deaths are due to over-speeding on NHs and seven per cent deaths due to wrong side driving.
The Transport secretary said 46 pc of the persons who died on NHs are two-wheeler drivers and pillion riders and most of them were not using helmets at the time of accident. The traffic rules’ violators can be controlled and fatalities reduced through rigorous enforcement, she observed.
Padhee underlined that Odisha had taken the initiative to implement IEMS on pilot basis on NH-16 passing through the state on a stretch of 140 km. “The output is quite encouraging as the accidents and fatalities reduced by about 50 pc and 41 pc, respectively as compared to the previous year. Road users generally have a sense of fear to violate traffic rules on the NH stretch where CCTVs have been installed, she said.
The Transport department has a robust command and control centre (CCC) for monitoring of the IEMS and issue of e-challans against the traffic rule violators. If IEMS is implemented on the NHAI, the system can be integrated with the existing CCC and it will help improve road safety in the state, she added.
UPWARD GRAPH
5,696 deaths in 2023; 5,467 in 2022
Fatality rate rose to 7.6 pc from 7.2 pc in 1 year
1,606 fatalities occurred on NHs, 30 pc of total fatalities in 2022
72 pc deaths due to over-speeding on NHs
46 pc of victims are two-wheeler and pillion riders