Post 'Safe Drive Save Life' campaign, road accidents have come down: Mamata
Kolkata: The "Safe Drive Save Life" programme has very successfully reduced the number of road accidents in Kolkata and nearby districts.
On the 48th National Safety Week that begins on Monday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted a post on the effectiveness of the programme and said: "48th National Safety Week begins today. In Bangla, our "Safe Drive Save Life" campaign has been effective and successful in reducing the number of road accidents in Kolkata by 12 percent in 2018 and by 14 percent in other areas of the state compared to 2017."
The "Safe Drive Save Life", conceptualised by the Chief Minister in 2016, aims to inculcate a "sense of responsible road behaviour" among people.
Meanwhile, the state Excise Directorate has made it mandatory to print a statutory warning saying "Be Safe-Don't Drink and Drive" along with the already existing one — "Consumption of alcohol is injurious to health" — on foreign liquor bottles from March 1.
The order has been issued by the state Excise Commissioner and all manufacturers of foreign liquor will have to print the label on the bottles from the given date.
The order read: "The above inscription shall be in addition to the other statutory requirements as prescribed under Rule 118 of the West Bengal Excise (Foreign Liquor) Rules, 1998 as subsequently amended."
The order further states that all manufacturers, brand owners, suppliers shall immediately apply for fresh label registration with the above statutory warning inscribed on the labels in case their products are not already registered with the above warning in the prescribed manner.
The city and state police have taken special measures and the state Transport department has provided financial assistance to the police and civic bodies to reduce the number of road accidents that pose a serious threat throughout the country.
In the administrative review meetings held in the districts, Banerjee made it a point to inquire about the traffic situation there. Due to constant monitoring, the number of road accidents in the state highways has gone down and the police vigil has been intensified as well.
The state Transport department distributed "Safe Drive Save Life" stickers free of cost as a part of the awareness drive. School, college and university students have been involved in the awareness drives. Schools have come up by car manufacturers where proper driving is being taught as part of the programme.
"Awareness, constant vigil and cooperation of the public have made the "Safe Drive Save Life" programme a grand success," said Surajit Kar Purkayastha, the state Security Advisor.
