The five-day platinum jubilee session of the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) concluded here on Thursday with a resolution to curb road accidents on both National and State Highways across the country. The 205th council meeting of the highway engineers held here on the occasion took this decision. “The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) would take best possible measures to curb road accidents, which are on the rise due to increase in the number of vehicles and some other reasons,” said an IRC member.
According to the IRC, the areas on the NHs and SHs where accident is reported for more than ten times by the police are declared as ‘black spots’. As proposed by the IRC to the Centre, engineers of NHs, SHs and PWDs would conduct a proper survey on the spots where accidents frequently happen due to delay in change of map and design of the roads.
The IRC has proposed the Centre to frame a rule by which the engineers would be asked to conduct a survey of these roads in every fortnight and submit their reports to the Centre and the State Governments. Speaking at the meeting, State Works Department Secretary Nalinikanta Pradhan informed that three places on the National Highways were identified as black spots during a survey in 2011. This apart, the State Government has also identified more black spots and has accordingly taken adequate steps, he said.
“The State Government has assigned the survey of these accident-prone places to a private company and taken adequate measures on the basis of its reports,” he added. The meeting also informed the IRC proposal has called for a specific timeline for completion of NH projects for which both the Centre and the State Governments would give due permissions and clearances. Besides, the IRC has suggested the Centre to allow plying of vehicles on NHs with a maximum load of 10 tonnes and punish violators.
The State Transport departments should be entrusted the task of checking vehicles on the roads. Among others, IRC president Mahesh Kumar, former president Sunil Bhowmik, general secretary SS Mahar and Special Secretary of the Road Transport, Highways and Shipping SN Das were present.