Bhubaneswar: The Odisha State Transport Authority (STA) directed all road-owning agencies, including the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), to ensure regular cleaning and prompt removal of sand and debris from roads to prevent fatal accidents.
The directive was issued following the death of two women, including a journalist, on the Puri-Bhubaneswar highway due to skidding.
The STA said it was observed that spillage of sand, soil, construction debris and loose materials on road surfaces leads to skidding of tyres, particularly for two-wheelers, resulting in serious and fatal road accidents.
In the recent past, multiple severe accidents have been reported across the state where road surface contamination due to non-removal of spillage sand was a contributory factor, STA chairman Amitabh Thakur said in a circular.
While enforcement agencies take action against unsafe transportation of sand and construction materials, it is the statutory duty of road-owning and road-maintaining agencies to ensure that roads under their jurisdiction are kept clean, traffic-worthy and free from hazards at all times, he said.
Similarly, municipal corporations, municipalities and NACs are statutorily responsible for street maintenance, cleaning and public safety within urban limits, including deployment of mechanised sweeping and emergency cleaning, he added.
Thakur advised government agencies to clean the major roads by deploying mechanical sweeping machines.
The cleaning frequency should be increased in high-risk stretches, mining belts, construction zones, truck routes and accident-prone locations, he said.
Lapses noticed during inspections or accident inquiries will be viewed seriously and fixed with accountability at the field-officer level, he warned.
