Live
- Employability skills programme concludes
- Govt plans to establish offshore Johns Hopkins University Campus in India
- Goa Aces clinch Indian Racing League title
- Study finds how hormone therapy can reshape the skeleton
- High-street fashion players looking at India for manufacturing: Report
- Shreyas Iyer to lead Mumbai as Prithvi Shaw returns for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
- 'Failed to resolve crisis': NPP withdraws support from BJP govt in Manipur
- Chennai: Actress Kasturi Remanded in Custody Until 29th of This Month
- Aaqib Javed likely to become Pakistan's new white-ball head coach
- BJP panel to draft poll charge sheet against AAP govt in Delhi
Rising road accidents ring alarm bells
Roads and Buildings Minister Tummala Nageshwara Rao on Monday said they would conduct a study on road safety measures with top priority and submit a report to the government for initiating steps to prevent fatal accidents. Nageshwara Rao chaired a Cabinet sub-committee meeting on Road Safety at the State Secretariat which discussed the measures to be taken to prevent accidents and preparing a plan
Hyderabad: Roads and Buildings Minister Tummala Nageshwara Rao on Monday said they would conduct a study on road safety measures with top priority and submit a report to the government for initiating steps to prevent fatal accidents. Nageshwara Rao chaired a Cabinet sub-committee meeting on Road Safety at the State Secretariat which discussed the measures to be taken to prevent accidents and preparing a plan of action.
I T Minister K T Rama Rao, Transport Minister P Mahender Reddy, Panchayat Raj Minister Jupally Krishna Rao, Housing Minister A Indrakaran Reddy and senior officials attended the meeting. Nageshwara Rao said the State government was spending a whopping Rs 18,000 crore for providing better road connectivity and safety in the State. A study would be conducted in other States and countries to bring down road accidents to zero, he said.
Expressing concern that about 7,000 fatal accidents taking place, Nageshwara Rao said the government would take steps to prevent them. The meeting discussed issues like immediate steps after accidents and to prevent deaths, loss to assets and plan to be implemented.
Road safety was under the Transport Department and it should be shifted to either Roads and Buildings wing or others after another round of meeting, he said. About 20 per cent of road accidents were due to lapses in road construction and 80 per cent due to rash driving and violation of stipulated road safety norms.
Other issues discussed in the meeting were: setting up of Road Safety Authority with committee and funds, construction of roads, maintenance and management, cases responsibility, parking, scrapping licenses of 15-year-old vehicles, issue driving licenses, drunken drive, high speed, new technology vehicles, awareness among people, students and others through publicity.
The committee will study the Road Safety Acts and better procedures to prevent accidents in other States and countries. It will submit a report to the government after discussing the issue with experts and others.
According to official data, 7,219 persons died against 22,811 accidents, Rs 124 crore penalty collected and 71,07,173 cases were registered in 2016. In 2015, a total of 7,110 persons died against 21,252 accidents, Rs 101 crore penalty collected and 56,28,137 cases were registered. Also in 2014, 6,906 persons died against 20,078 accidents, Rs 95 crore penalty collected and 49,67,534 cases were registered.
