Bhubaneswar: In a bid to minimise the number of rising road mishaps, the state government has decided to rectify engineering defects in major roads by March.
This decision was taken at a high-level meeting on road safety held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi here at the Secretariat, Wednesday.
“It was decided in the meeting that short-term action plan prepared for rectification of engineering defects identified on the national highways, state highways and other major roads of the state will be executed in next three months,” transport commissioner Madhusudan Padhi told reporters after the meeting. Collectors of different districts, after conducting survey, have come up with some measures in this regard, he said.
It was also decided to launch a traffic awareness campaign across the state. A special campaign will be held to create awareness among drivers and support staff of trucks and buses, he said, adding that a state management group comprising heads of various departments will be constituted for the purpose of creating awareness. As per the plans, people residing on both sides of various under construction projects including four-lane roads will be informed about ongoing construction activities.
Following success of engaging volunteer students for traffic management in twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, the state government has decided to extend the system to four other towns of the state. The student traffic volunteers will be engaged in Rourkela, Sambalpur, Balasore and Berhampur to ensure smooth management of traffic. Later, the system will be extended to some other towns in a phased manner, Padhi said.
Considering the rising number of mishaps on NHs passing through urban areas, the government has decided to strictly enforce the traffic regulations. Besides, the state road agencies have also been directed to share their design on connecting approach roads with NHs and such designs will be made as per the direction of NH authorities, he added.
PNN
