Bhubaneswar: In a bid to reduce road accidents and fatalities, the Odisha government is ramping up its road safety initiatives. A high-level review meeting was held Tuesday, chaired by Commerce and Transport department principal secretary Usha Padhee.
During the review, Padhee reaffirmed the state’s commitment to reducing road traffic deaths and injuries, urging all stakeholders to collaborate and adopt a time-bound approach to meet Odisha’s ambitious target of cutting road fatalities by 50 per cent by 2030, in line with national and global road safety goals. Officials examined the status of previous decisions and discussed the latest accident data. While acknowledging the progress made, the meeting highlighted several critical areas requiring attention, including the rectification of black spots, the full implementation of the Intelligent Enforcement Management System (IEMS), and ensuring compliance with the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety (SCCoRS) guidelines. A major concern raised was the rising number of road accidents in districts, especially in the mining belt.
Participants emphasised the need for improved enforcement, stricter monitoring, and enhanced emergency response strategies. IIT Madras, the state’s technical partner, presented data-driven solutions such as scientific crash investigations, road safety awareness campaigns, and training initiatives for enforcement agencies. The state’s four-pronged approach—engineering, enforcement, education, and emergency care—was also reviewed. While measures like highway patrolling, road safety campaigns, and trauma care improvements were praised, challenges such as pending e-challan disposals, insufficient enforcement manpower, and gaps in road safety engineering were identified as areas needing immediate attention. The government outlined a series of priority initiatives, including accelerating the rollout of IEMS on additional highways, increasing highway patrolling vehicles, and setting up new Institute of Driving Training and Research (IDTR) centers. Key focus areas also included strengthening district-level road safety plans, creating truck terminals at strategic locations, improving post-accident response, and involving Junior Rakshaks in road safety campaigns.
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A major development discussed was the ongoing amendment of the Odisha Motor Vehicle Rules, 1993, to align with changes to the Central Motor Vehicles Act. The updated rules will include provisions for canceling the driving licenses of habitual offenders. The government is also working on integrating the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS).
