With high growth of fatalities on roads in Odisha being registered continuously every year, the Supreme Court’s direction to reduce motor vehicle accidental deaths by 10 per cent annually seems to have gone for a toss.
Thanks to poor enforcement of the laws by the State Transport Authority, which is headed by a part time Transport Commissioner, the Regional Transport Officers keep ignoring rising incidents of deaths on roads.
While deaths on roads have crossed more than 13 per cent as compared to previous years’, the RTOs are turning a blind eye towards the killer roads, which have worsened during these years.
While the transport sector is continuously generating huge revenue, a full time and dedicated officer as Transport Commissioner is not posted, though the State Government is aware of the serious situation arising due to road accidents.
While Odisha is scrupulously following almost all the pro-people programmes from Tamil Nadu, it is oblivious to the success rate of minus growth rate of fatalities in the southern State, where deaths on roads have nosedived, thanks to their enforcement efforts.
In 2018, Tamil Nadu has registered minus 24 per cent fatalities as compared to 2017, while the scene in Odisha is completely reverse.
How Tamil Nadu is scripting success in reducing fatalities on roads is an eye opener though the State has more vehicles, roads and population moving on roads in comparison to Odisha.
A district like Ganjam, which is home turf of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, continues to having highest number of casualties on roads.
More than 400 people died in road accidents only in Ganjam last year, reveals a senior officer. Districts like Khordha, Ganjam, Sundargarh, Cuttack, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Baleswar, Jajpur and others have highest death rate on roads and RTOs in these districts seems to turn a blind eye over the rising incidents of deaths. At least 12 districts attribute to over 60 per cent fatalities on roads and in these districts there is hardly any enforcement in real sense, for which death rates are high.
While the State Government is more concerned for generation of revenue from the transport sector, reduction of fatalities seems not on the priority agenda, for which death rates are on rise abnormally, admit experts.
At least an IAS or a IPS officer is needed to be posted as full time Transport Commissioner as the situation is worsening day by day and fatalities are on rise on roads. Last year 5,315 deaths occurred on the roads; reveal State Police sources, which was 4,790 in 2017. And such a worsening situation will be repeated in 2019, apprehend experts on transport sector if enforcement and awareness generation is not done at the earliest.