Patowary accords priority on road safety

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Dec 21: Under the chairmanship of the Transport Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, the Road Safety Council Meeting was held at the Minister’s conference hall at Dispur on Tuesday.

The minister voiced his concern over the increasing number of road accidents and fatalities in the State. He asked the officials from police, PWD (roads), State Highways (SH), tiol Highways (NH), tiol Highways Authority of India (NHAI), tiol Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL) to take adequate measure for identification, rectification and monitoring of ‘black spots’ and to ensure that proper sigges, lighting and markings are done along with other compliances conforming with the road safety principles.

The Road Safety Council accorded highest priority in monitoring the black spots and that accidents are not repeated on the identified black spots. In this regard, a nodal /lead agency has been constituted to devote itself to road safety standards. Transport Secretary Lalit Gogoi has been desigted as its nodal officer who informed the Council that an Assam Road Safety Authority Bill has been prepared which would be soon tabled in the next Assembly session.  

The Road Safety Council proposed that the best three performing SPs and DTOs in implementing road safety measures in their respective districts would be awarded by the Chief Minister in the forthcoming Republic Day.

All cinema halls across the state must show a short film/clip on road safety before beginning of each show, the Council observed. Road safety measures have already been incorporated in the syllabus of elementary classes in the State. The Council opined that this should also be a part of higher classes in the schools from the next academic session.

The Council directed that transport officials should cancel the license of all private bus/ taxi counters operating within 500 metres in Guwahati of ASTC station and within 300 metres at all places in the State. These counters should be cancelled and removed by taking help of police and magistrate.

The matters of establishment of trauma centres, logistic hubs, new ISBTs were discussed at length; while issues on encroachment on pedestrian pathways by street vendors, shifting of distracting hoardings located within 100 metres from NH and SH, shifting of liquor shops operating on NH and SH were also discussed in the meeting today.

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