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Patna April 13: With the number of accidents going up in the state in the past few years, the road construction department has decided to take some measures to slam brakes on mishaps.
The department is planning to add rumble strips with zebra crossings at the entrance of schools, colleges, hospitals and other establishment across the state. Plans are also afoot for road lining or lane marking in white or yellow on all roads to make the carriageways and lanes visible to drivers, especially during foggy weather. The department is also in the initial stages of chalking out numerous other innovative measures for road safety in the next three to four years.
The Telegraph had reported on February 24, 2011 about the rise in road traffic accidents in the state capital from 636 in 2006 to 1,170 in 2010. The situation in other parts of the state is anyone’s guess. But the road construction department is keen to change the scenario.
The road construction department, under the leadership of the department secretary, Pratyaya Amrit, has started to work for road safety.
“Although the prime responsibility of the road construction department is the construction and maintenance of roads, the prevention of road mishap requires combined efforts from vari- ous agencies. In the interest of public safety, we have decided to contribute to prevent accidents across the state,” said Amrit.
He said there are numerous ground-level aspects that vary from place to place and therefore, an exact road safety plan for the entire state is not available with the department at this stage.
“We are going to start with putting reflectors and cautionary sign boards in Hindi as well as English at steep curves and bends on state highways and other roads. Besides, rumble strips will be laid at sensitive spots like road intersections on highways to alert drivers against potential danger,” said Amrit.
The citizens welcomed the move of the road construction department. Parvez Ahmad Khan, a resident of Ashiana Road area, told The Telegraph: “I would like to thank the road construction department for the steps. These measures can bring down the number of accidents in the long run.”
He pointed out that a similar work at Sharari Gumati in Danapur has brought down the number of accidents there.
Asked what more could be done to curb mishaps on roads, Khan said: “There should be more street lights, especially along the busy roads.”
Several others sugges- ted the state government to teach people the benefits of safe driving and following traffic rules.
Road safety apart, Amrit briefed on the proposed India-Nepal border state highway project, which he referred to as the “mother of all projects” of the road construction department at present.
“The department has sent a proposal to the Union ministry of road transport and highways for making a 536km state highway on the India-Nepal border between Bettiah and Araria. The Government of India approved it in principal in January this year. The detailed project report and its design are ready with us. They will be submitted to the central government in the next week. While the sanction on the detailed project report and the design are expected to come within a month or two, the road construction department has set the target to finish the work on the project by 2015 utilising a fund of Rs 1,702 crore,” said Amrit.