Even though the rate of road accidents has increased in the State, enforcement is still lax due to gross shortage of staff in the Transport Department.
To make matters worse, the interceptor vehicles purchased to check drunken driving and over speeding on highways are not being properly utilised for the purpose they are meant to.
Sources said more than 200 police personnel who were on deputation to the Transport Department have been withdrawn by the Odisha Police as the police force is facing gross shortage of manpower. This has led to enforcement against violations to be absolutely zero.
Besides, the interceptor vehicles purchased to check drunken driving, over speeding and rash driving are only checking over speeding as the breath analysers in these vehicles to check drunken drivers are defunct.
These are the findings of the Road Safety Society meeting held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Transport Minister Ramesh Majhi. The interceptors in 2010 had detected 2,514 violations, in 2011-1,406 and in 2012, 889 violations. It was also found that in 2010 the fine collection was Rs13,13,970, in 2011, Rs15,12,547 and in 2012, Rs12,12, 150.
It means both the number of detections and the fine collection have decreased. Shockingly after that no data is available.
The meeting also found that the Odisha Transport Development Authority which should have been formed under the Odisha Transport Policy which came into effect from May 10, 2007 is yet to see the light of the day even after seven years. Under the policy, bus stands would have been developed or constructed, road side amenities and truck parking developed near the highways. To reduce accidents traffic care centres should have been set up on the highways, besides trauma care centres .
But strangely, the Transport Department officials are ignorant of these facts. The Minister directed the officials of the department to set up road Safety Clubs in every school to create awareness about traffic rules and observe road safety awareness throughout the year, rather than only during the Road Safety Week.
Among others, Special Secretary (Transport) Sanjay Mahapatra, the Additional Transport Commissioner, All India Transport Organisation spokesperson Subrat Kumar Nanda and Sankhsadwani Rasta Suraksha Samiti secretary Prakash Mohapatra were present.