Kendrapara: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notice to the Chief Secretary and sought an Action Taken Report (ATR) within four weeks over the road accident at Rahanja, where five students died and four others were injured while they were returning from Ranitel High school in Bhadrak district.
Acting on a petition filed by rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy, the apex rights panel passed the order.
July 19, 2018, five students were killed and four others suffered critical injuries when they were run over by a truck near Rahanja on NH-16.
As the school is located near the highway, the students reportedly used to cross the busy junction by risking their lives. There is no proper signage even though the students cross the road regularly. There is no regular check on speed limits, Tripathy alleged.
He pointed out that Bhadrak district has no traffic control system and no separate traffic section in its police stations. The very few traffic personnel and inadequate infrastructure is another reason for the incident, he said.
Citing a petition filed by him before the NHRC, Tripathy reiterated the fact that in India many state governments distribute cycles to school students free of cost without caring for safety.
He requested the NHRC to issue notices to the Secretary of Ministry of Road and Transportation and Highways, Government of India and to the Odisha DGP to formulate a comprehensive policy for cyclists and compensation of Rs 50 lakh to the family of the deceased school students and Rs 25 lakh to the injured victims and free medical care.
Tripathy also requested the NHRC to ensure opening of a separate traffic section in Bhadrak police station.
“In case, the report is not received within the stipulated time, the Commission shall invoke process u/s 13 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 for personal appearance of the concerned authority,” the NHRC warned in its notice to the Chief Secretary.