New plan mulled for road safety
The State Government has chalked out a new plan, the Odisha State Safety Action Plan (ORSAP), to check road accidents and save valuable human lives and properties.
Works Secretary Nalini Kanta Pradhan recently held discussions with the experts and consultants, who are engaged in finalising the ORSAP.
According to a report, more than 3,500 people lose their lives in road accidents in the State every year. If the cost assigned to life in the country is considered, it costs more than `700 crore to the State every year, revealed the report.
While Odisha has much less number of vehicles per one lakh persons, which is 7,943, it is experiencing more number of accidents as compared to more vehicle using States like Delhi, Punjab and Kerala.
During 2011, Delhi with 40,278 vehicles per on lakh persons had 2,065 fatalities, while Odisha recorded 3,802 deaths due to road accidents.
According to State Crime Record Bureau (SCRB), 50 per cent fatalities occurred on National Highways while 25 per cent in State Highways and the rest on other roads.
Districts like Baleswar, Jajpur, Cuttack, Khordha, Ganjam, Sambalpur and Sundargarh are having worst records of road safety. The SCRB data reveals major victims of road accidents are pedestrians, cyclists and motorized two wheelers, which constitutes 26 per cent of the deaths.
Truck drivers and passengers constitute 28 per cent of the fatalities.
Keeping this in view, the Government has chalked out the ORSAP, which aims at reduction of road accidents and better coordination between Departments like Transport, Health, Home and Education and the urban local bodies to tackle growing threat of road safety situation, sources said.
The Government is now taking steps to set up an Odisha State Road Safety Council (OSRSC), which would coordinate between the District Road Safety Councils to maintain road safety.