The East Singhbhum district administration has enforced new traffic regulations starting on Tuesday to curb rising road mishaps in the city. Despite orders to enforce speed limit in the city, vehicles was seen moving at speed exceeding the limit of 20 kph as mentioned in the district administration order. The administration has restricted speed limit of commercial vehicles at 20 kph in city areas and warned of prosecution of Rs1,000 (as per MV Act) for heavy vehicles parked illegally leading to traffic congestion and heavy vehicles without mandatory two drivers in the front seat facing a penalty of Rs5,000 (as per Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989 Section 190 sub Section-IV).
“We had conducted a comprehensive survey of the entire city recently. Based on the area-wise survey report, we have fixed the speed limits. But the riders are flouting the orders,” said an official. The vehicle drivers, found violating the speed-limit, will be prosecuted and even forwarded to the jail. In the last one decade, the rise of vehicles particularly, two-wheelers have registered manifold increase with each family possessing at least one two-wheeler on an average in city periphery.
However, the darker side of the picture is that annually above thousand road accidents are taking place in the city and four to five accidents (including small and moderate accidents) daily on an average in which more than 100 odd people are losing their lives. “Despite orders, the riders are flouting speed limit norms, we also do not have either speed guns or speed cameras to check speeding vehicles in city,” admitted DTO Sanjay PM Kujur. Traffic DSP Jacinta Kerketta also admitted to the handicap of equipment.
local urban body, Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC) which was entrusted to purchase the speed cameras in August last year is now planning to issue a fresh tender for purchase of speed cameras at the earliest. Officials informed that the local urban bodies will also set up road signages for commuters and also display speed limit and alert notice at various danger zones. The danger mishap prone zones identified by the district administration are road stretch between Golmuri roundabout — Slag Road, Bistupur-Staton Road, Mango-Dimna Road, Sitaramdera bus stand to Bhuiyandih roundabout and Subernarekha link Road to Mango bridge.