Haryana Government has decided to constitute Road Safety Authority to address issues pertaining to road safety for which a draft Act has been prepared.
Transport Minister Aftab Ahmed said that a fund would also be created in which 50 per cent of compounding fee collected for offences under Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 would be deposited which will be utilised by the Authority to settle cases related to road safety.
He said that the State Government has made concerted efforts for improving public transport services and has also simplified and streamlined the procedure to provide citizen services. The Transport Department has introduced e-Payment facility for payment of road tax. An SMS facility has also been introduced under which the citizens would be sent an SMS intimating the amount of tax or fee deposited for various services in the offices of Secretary, Regional Transport Authorities and Sub Divisional Officers (Civil). A new website has also been started by the Department for providing informative services, e-payment facility and for strengthening grievances redresser mechanism.
“The National ‘Vaahan’ and ‘Sarathi’ programme have been implemented in all the 79 Registering and licensing Authority in the State. All works pertaining to registration of motor vehicles and issue of driving licences has been computerized. Computerized receipts are being issued for the cash received in all the offices of Registering and licensing Authorities,” he added.
The Minister said that a State level Coordination Committee on Road Safety has been constituted under the Chairmanship of Principal Secretary, Transport to address all the issues pertaining to road safety. Road Safety Awareness Clubs are being set up in all the 88 Government Colleges in the State, in order to spread awareness amongst students about road safety.
As many as 1170 accident prone points have been identified in the State and 870 of them have been rectified. Similarly 1051 sites have been identified where speed breakers are required to be constructed, out of which, 866 speed breakers have been constructed. Speed Governors have been installed on all the transport vehicles during last year. Reflectors or reflective tapes have also been affixed on all vehicles. He said that a special campaign has been launched to check overloading of vehicles, drunken driving, over-speeding, driving without helmets or seat-belts, and dangerous driving.
Ahmed said that with a view to check the menace of overloading of vehicles in Haryana, more than 11976 vehicles have so far been challaned during the current financial year.
He said that besides challaning the vehicles under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, criminal action has also been initiated by the State Government against the operators of motor vehicles plying with loads over the sanctioned load under the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984.
He said that to improve road worthiness of motor vehicles, an Inspection and Testing Centre equipped with fully automated and computerized machines is being set up at Rohtak with Central financial assistance of Rs14.40 crores. The Centre will have a
capacity to check road worthiness of 1.25 lakh -1.50 lakh vehicles per year. The construction of the building of the Centre has started.
Police instructions to prevent accidents
Haryana Police has issued directions for safe and smooth traffic and to curb road accidents during foggy weather.A spokesman of the Police Department said that people have been asked to keep head lights of the vehicles at low beam and not on high beam as it bifurcates light and reduces visibility for the vehicles at the opposite end. He said that while driving during foggy conditions always keep the yellow reflective strips bordering the roads and the white strips in the middle of the road to drive safe and avoid accidents. Proper gap between your vehicle and the vehicle moving in front of you has to be maintained.
During fog, roads are wet hence sufficient gap for breaking has to be maintained. Proper indicator has to be given before turning so that other driver has sufficient time to control his vehicle’s speed. The installation of fog lights is mandatory for every vehicle. It helps in piercing fog.