The Suvendu Adhikari government has announced a series of measures aimed at improving road safety across the state, including the removal of barricades from national highways, installation of speed governors in buses operated by the North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC), and the use of body cameras by officials involved in traffic enforcement and investigations.

The decisions were taken during an administrative review meeting chaired by Suvendu at Uttarkanya, the state’s branch secretariat in Siliguri, on Friday.

Shankar Ghosh, the state tourism minister, who spoke to newspersons after the meeting, said the government had decided that no barricades would be installed on
highways.

“The chief minister has said barricades should be removed from highways to ensure smoother and safer movement of vehicles. Also, in the wake of the recent road accident near Mainaguri, it has also been decided that speed governors will be installed in every bus operated by the NBSTC,” he said.

In Mainaguri, four persons died, and 30-odd passengers were injured when the NBSTC bus rammed into the rear of a truck.

Government sources said barricades on highways often hindered the free flow of traffic and were at times misused for illegal practices.

“There are reports that during the tenure of the Trinamool government, such barricades were set up on highways to illegally collect money from vehicles, especially goods vehicles. The removal will improve traffic and would also stop such practices,” said a source.

Ghosh said that the state had also decided to equip officials with body-worn cameras while carrying out traffic enforcement, revenue collection and investigations related to road accidents or safety violations.

“The body cameras will be used by officials during revenue collection and while investigating accidents or road safety-related issues. The digital recordings will enhance transparency and help strengthen traffic management,” said the minister.

Land records

Suvendu announced on Friday that the state government had decided that digitally signed copies of land records, including the record of rights (RoR) and plot information, would be available online free of cost.

In a post on social media, Adhikari said the application fee previously charged for obtaining land records and plot information had been abolished with immediate effect.

Under the new system, citizens can now download digitally signed copies of their record of rights (khatian) and plot information online without paying any application or authentication charges.

Later in the day, at the administrative meeting in Uttarkanya, Adhikari instructed the officials to expedite the acquisition of land for the civil airport at Hasimara and for the airports in Malda and Balurghat.

“He has made it clear that there should be no delay in land acquisition for airports, railway network, highways, overbridges and flyovers,” said the tourism minister.

At the meeting, it was also decided to extensively install CCTV cameras in all offices of the state land and land reforms department.

The state will also depute officers at Uttarkanya to monitor the land acquisition process, said sources.

Warning

Adhikari also issued a warning to elected representatives, especially those who won on Trinamool’s ticket, at local bodies in north Bengal.

“Around 80 per cent of elected representatives in these local bodies, right from panchayat to municipal corporations, are staying away as they fear backlash. The same is happening in the GTA (Gorkhaland Territorial Administration). This cannot go on. Either you surrender before the police or else, resign from your posts,” said the chief minister, while talking to newspersons at the Bagdogra airport before heading for Calcutta.

He said the VB G RAM G and some other schemes had been introduced in the state and needed to be implemented properly.

“A slew of developmental projects have been taken up in north Bengal. Execution of such projects and implementation of welfare schemes should not be disrupted for the absence of elected representatives. They should deliver their duties, or else, we will take necessary steps as per the rules to ensure proper functioning of these rural bodies,” said Adhikari.

Monsoon readiness

The chief minister also took a stock of the situation during the ongoing monsoon season. In north Bengal, there had been flash floods, landslides and water-logging as the southwest monsoon is active in the region.