Despite an alarming number of 394 lives were lost in road accidents in the Raipur district alone in the year 2013, the Traffic department has no concrete plans to curb the rising figures.
The deaths in 2013 have risen by around nine per cent as compared to the toll in 2012. It must be noted that unlike several State capitals in the country, wearing a helmet is not compulsory here. When asked, Additional Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Balram Hirwani said there were no plans to mandate the use of helmets in the district as of now. “We cannot bring down the number of accidents but if commuters follow traffic rules and care for their own safety, the death toll will come down,” he said.
It was expected that as the four-laning of National Highway 200, connecting State capital and Bilaspur via Bhatapara, completed this year, a dip in death toll will be registered. Separation of Gariabandh from Raipur district in 2012 also took away a sizeable number of population but despite these factors, the deaths in road accidents saw an increase of around nine percent as compared to 2012.
The month of May in 2013 saw most number of accidents (44) whereas the lowest 18 lives were lost in the month of August last year. In most cases, two-wheeler riders succumb to their injuries in road accidents. “Most of the times, it is because of carelessness of the two-wheeler rider that the accident turns out to be fatal. If they don’t care for their own lives, we are helpless,” said Hirwani.
However, he said there are no immediate plans to bring about any major change in the way traffic rules are being implemented in the district. Apart from Road Safety Week that is observed every year, the Traffic department has not shown any consistency in any of their drives whether it be against autorikshaws with rural permit plying within the city or commuters driving with their faces covered.
The department had launched a drive in mid-2013 against drivers of school buses after cases of accidents by these vehicles came to the fore. Several drivers were found underage and did not have a licence. However, this drive too could not last long. Shying away from accountability of the alarming death toll in the district, Additional Transport Commissioner HK Rathore said that transport department only works towards revenue collection. “Management of traffic and ensuring that rules are followed is for the traffic department to see,” he said.
A high-level meeting was held on Friday which was attended by officials of traffic department, transport department, police department and Raipur Municipal Corporation where several issues like lighting, dividers, traffic signals were discussed.