MANISH GUPTA
Ranchi, Aug 29: Jharkhand is losing 10 lives on an average per day in road accidents. To cut down the number of road accidents and make the roads safer in the state, the Transport Department has decided to rope in IIT Madras as its technical partner.
“We plan to sign an MoU with IIT Madras to carry out scientific research and draft an action plan to reduce road accidents and deaths in the state. It will be a five-year agreement,” Joint Transport Commissioner Ravishankar Vidyarathi told lagatar24.com.
The state Transport Department has been concerned about the rising number of road accidents despite various measures. Vidyarathi said that the department is running awareness programs across the state and every district has a road safety committee.
“There is a state road safety council and a road safety fund management committee. A lead agency on road safety works under the Joint Commissioner (himself) to analyse the data and share with major stakeholders namely officials from the health, road, home and education departments for contributing towards the objective,” he said.
As per the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the number of deaths due to road accidents increased from 3,027 in 2016 to 3,801 in 2019. In 2020, it fell to 3,044 deaths. The Joint Commissioner said that the state loses 10 lives per day on an average.
“IIT Madras is a leading research and technology institute in the country and it has done good work in Tamil Nadu. The Government of India had also suggested engaging the institute for road safety,” Vidyarathi said, adding that the state will have a new standard operating procedure. The financials will be decided on a case to case basis, he said.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren has often raised his concern about road safety and has instructed the transport department to take corrective measures to control the number of accidents and deaths. About 40 per cent of the accidents involve two wheelers and the same percentage of accidents take place on the national highways.
The Transport Department is spreading awareness about the importance of wearing helmets and using seat belts, and is strict about implementing these rules. Not using the helmet or seat belts in cars increases the chance of death in road accidents from about 20 per cent to around 80 per cent.
