Another Gujarat model has proved to be a guiding light for the Centre to bring down road casualties. The Centre has advised States and UTs to follow Gujarat, which has successfully reduced the number of deaths on roads by imposing a ban on sale of liquor on the national highways.
According to the figure made available by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Gujarat recorded 1,339 accidents in 2009 due to drunk driving on NHs, but a concerted effort by the State administration by banning liquor sale on NHs across the State resulted in sharp decline in the number of accidents. In 2010, only 234 accidents due to drunk driving on NHs were reported, while the figure further came down to 212 in 2011.
The countrywide figure for road accidents due to drunk driving was 27,152 in 2009, but in 2010 the figure increased to 31,000. The Centre claims that due to continuous mass awareness, the accident cases came down to 24,655 in 2011, which also include 10,553 fatalities. “While the details of number of road accidents on highways due to drunk driving is not separately maintained, the States have, however, come forward and complied data after repeated follow-ups by the Ministry,” said a top MoRTH official.
An advisory has been issued again to the States and UTs to follow the Gujarat model and ban sale of liquor along the national highways. “If States do not want to ban liquor sale completely due to fear of losing revenue, at least curbing the sale of liquor along NHs would be appreciated. The socio-economic loss due to casualties is much greater than the loss of revenue,” added the official.
Andhra Pradesh too has seen a decline in the number of accidents due to drunk driving on highways, but the change has happened due to the efforts of NGOs and transporters.
In 2009, the figure stood at 4,469, but it came down drastically to 2,877 in 2010. It further reduced to 2,205 in the year 2011.
However, West Bengal has seen a sharp increase in the number of accidents due to drunk driving on highways. It was 1,894 in 2009, but increased to 8,663 in 2010. The figure of following year has not been provided by the State. Maharashtra too has failed in its efforts to curb the number of accidents on NHs due to drunk driving, with figure standing at 1,868 in 2009, 2,407 in 2010 and 2,454 in 2011.
Among other larger States, Madhya Pradesh has recorded largest number of accidents on NHs due to drunk driving: 4,480 in 2009, 4,082 in 2010 and 4,028 in 2011. Bihar and Jharkhand too have seen increase in the number of accidents due to drunk driving on NHs.
In comparison to smaller States, Kerala figures remain stagnant at 63, 65 and 67 in 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively; while the highways passing through national Capital recorded 46 accidents in 2011, 12 in 2010 and eight in 2009.
Since licensing of liquor shops is covered under Excise Policy of the States, the State Governments have been requested by MoRTH in March 2013 to remove existing liquor shops and stop issuing fresh licences along NHs. This is the third advisory by the Road Ministry followed by one in August 2007 and December 2011.