Even though Odisha has one of the highest accident rates in the country and 10 to 12 persons are killed in road mishaps daily, in a majority of the 35 Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) of the State there are no Regional Transport Authority (RTA) Committees, which are administrative machineries to regulate speed control and enforce the Motor Vehicles Act in the respective districts.
Notably, the RTA Committees, which function under the aegis of the State Transport Authority (STA) and have the district Collectors as their Chairmen, play an important role like carrying out traffic surveys in the areas under their jurisdictions, induction of new buses, issuing of route permits.
With well-defined goals of protecting public interests and promoting best possible transport system, the RTA Committees play a vital role in the districts’ economic activities and touch almost all sections of the community.
The committees also play an important role in smooth movements of passengers and freight vehicles in the districts and generate sizeable revenue and create employment opportunities for a large number of people with well-defined goals of protecting public interests and promoting a best possible transport system.
However, unlike neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh, in Odisha 90 per cent of the routes are dominated by private buses with the public-sector Odisha State Road Transport Corporation’s (OSRTC) presence in only 10 per cent. The absence of RTA Committees has hit the public transport sector in the State hard.
With no committees and nonofficial members, it is alleged that there is no transparency in the system and unscrupulous officials of the Transport Department have taken advantage of it to fatten their pockets.
The district Collectors of accident-prone districts like Khordha, Puri and Cuttack have repeatedly reminded the STA to form committees, but the latter has turned a deaf ear to this plea.
So, it is no surprise that major mishaps like the Cuttack bus tragedy that occurred recently are becoming a routine claiming a large number of precious lives.