Nellore gets 3 underpasses to reduce road accidents

Nellore: District collector K V N Chakradhar Babu said that the Union government sanctioned three underpasses in the city for preventing accidents on the National Highway-16. He also said the government has been giving top priority to the safety of the commuters.

Addressing the concluding session of the National Road Safety Month on Thursday held at the Deputy Commissioner's office of the transport department, he said the National Highway is passing through the city and tough measures were needed to prevent accidents keeping in view the high-speed traffic. The volume of vehicles has been increasing day by day and traffic control measures have to be taken systematically, he added.

The collector lamented that hundreds of people were losing lives due to road accidents every year and the majority of cases were due to violation of traffic rules and negligent driving. He said there is a highway in the district for 168 km and traffic is usually heavy due to nearby villages and the industrial units.

Chakradhar Babu said the deaths of youngsters in road accidents are a major cause of concern and the officials have to search ways to prevent them.

Municipal commissioner K Dinesh Kumar said road safety activities should be a continuous affair, not limited to a month or week.

He appealed to the parents not to allow children below 18 years of age to drive a vehicle without licence.

Deputy transport commissioner Subba Rao, APSRTC regional manager Seshaiah, SE of the R&B Bharat Ratna, medical professional Dr Bindu Swetha and others were present.