Published On : Mon, Jan 18th, 2016

Road Safety Campaign to receive DPC funds, says Bawankule

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Traffic Police, other concerned departments directed to draw year-long measures to curb increasing road accidents.

Nagpur: Guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Monday directed the Traffic Police and heads of other concerned departments to come out with a proposal over year-long programmes and measures to effectively curb increasing road accidents, creating awareness among citizens including students on traffic rules and regulations. The Minister further said that the necessary funds would be provided to Road Safety Campaign through DPC (District Planning Committee). Bawankule was presiding over meeting held in this regard at Bijlinagar Hall here on Monday.
“The Road Safety Campaign should be implemented in 988 Gram Panchayats in rural areas as well as every part of the city. A suggestion on appointment of Road Safety Inspectors has been received in the meeting from Traffic Department and it will be considered at an appropriate time,” said Bawankule.

The Guardian Minister lamented that though the Traffic Department provided revenue of Rs 5.83 crore but not a single rupee is spent on road safety programmes. He directed setting up of Road Safety Committees at district-level to resolve the issue. The President of the Committee will be the Guardian Minister while the representatives from Traffic Department, RTO, ST, National Highways Authority, PWD, NMC, NIT would be members.

The meeting also pondered over potholes on roads. The Traffic Department had searched the potholes on city roads and the list was handed over to concerned departments but no action was initiated. The NMC, NIT and PWD had not played their roles effectively to hammer out the problem of potholes that invite all kind of accidents.

The issue of haphazardly parked trucks on both sides of the roads also figured in the meeting. The proposed Traffic Plaza has not seen the light of the day leading to the problem of trucks stationed on roads. A suggestion to construct Traffic Plazas on all the eight outer roads passing through the city was pushed forward. Similarly, 95 percent ST buses have stops in the middle of the roads. This fact was brought to the notice of the ST authorities. “Every Department should come out with its remedial measures. The proposals are to be tabled before the Union Surface Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari in the January 23 meeting, said Bawankule.