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Delhi

Delhi govt launches 'Zero Fatality Corridor' project

To scientifically assess cause for mishaps on the Outer Ring Road stretch between Burari Chowk and Bhalswa Chowk

New Delhi: In a bid to significantly bring down injuries and deaths due to road crashes in the city, the Minister of Transport, Delhi government on Monday launched "Zero Fatality Corridor" (ZFC) project with SaveLIFE Foundation to scientifically assess the cause for crashes on the Outer Ring Road stretch between Burari Chowk and Bhalswa Chowk and undertake necessary interventions to reduce road crashes on the deadly stretch. "In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Delhi government said it will develop a four-kilometre stretch of road in north Delhi as a "zero fatality corridor", said Transport Minister Kailash Gehlot.

The stretch between Burari chowk to Bhalswa chowk, which officials said was accident-prone, will be taken up under the pilot project, the Minister said. The stretch between Burari Chowk and Bhalswa Chowk was taken up, as it is one of the stretches with very high fatality figures. "Last year, 67 deaths were reported on this stretch — about 11 deaths per kilometre in a year, which is a high figure," Piyush Tiwari, chief executive officer of SaveLIFE Foundation, said. The work on the project will start in the next few days.

The Delhi government has partnered with Save-LIFE Foundation, a leading road safety non-profit, to adopt the Burari to Bhalswa stretch as a pilot project with plans to replicate the model in other parts of the city. The activity is in line with Delhi government's plan of action to reduce fatalities due to road crashes by 30 per cent by 2020.

According to the data by Delhi Traffic Police,1,690 people were killed, and 6,086 people were injured in 6,515 road crashes in 2018. The 3-km stretch contains four blackspots namely, Burari Chowk, Bhalswa Chowk, Jahangirpuri Bus Stand and Mukundpur Chowk is known to be one of the most dangerous stretches, claiming 67 lives in 2016and 2017.

The model to be implemented is well-known for reducing road crash deaths by 30 per cent on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. It is a pioneering attempt to reduce road crash deaths through a 360-degree intervention, panningroad engineering, Police enforcement, rapid emergency care and road-user engagement.

The Annual Action Plan on Road Safety, which is mandatory under Delhi's first Road Safety Policy released in 2018, binds all Delhi Government agencies (Transport, PWD, Health and Education Depts) and Delhi Traffic Police to year-round set of actions to reduce road fatalities in Delhi.

The plan outlines concrete commitments with timelines. "As we mark the 30th Road Safety Week, we have also released the first ever Annual Action Plan that provides a blueprint to reduce road crash deaths in Delhi. Delhi witnessed 1,691 road crash fatalities last year and our government is trying to change that by adopting a new approach to tackle this pandemic. Through the Zero Fatality Corrdior pilot project our aim is to reduce the fatalities to near zero levels on this particular stretch. After evaluating the impact of the initiative, we will replicate the model in other parts of the city."

Kailash Gehlot said.

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