Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday rolled out 18 Highway Patrolling units in 18 stretches of various State and National Highways on virtual platform.
Launching the units, the Chief Minister said that these units would play a crucial role in saving the lives of accident victims on highways. Speaking on the concern of the State over road accident related deaths on highways, the Chief Minister said that many valuable lives are lost every year in Odisha for this reason. He said that the Government is committed to reduce such fatalities and is taking up several steps to contain these unfortunate incidents. He said that the timing for taking an accident victim from a point of accident to the nearest hospital is crucial in saving lives. “The quicker we can take an injured person to hospital, the better is the chance of survival,” he added.
These patrolling units will be highly useful in these circumstances by carrying the accident victims as quickly as possible, he said. He further said that the State Government has a target of creating 36 patrolling units in various accident-prone stretches. The functioning and experience of these 18 units in the first phase will guide us for further action and future initiatives.
He asked the officials to resume more sensitisation initiatives for drivers on various road safety mechanisms and laws relating to it. DGP Abhay offered the vote of thanks and Secretary to CM (5T) VK Pandian moderated the programme.