‘Plans on to implement speed limit management across state’

KOLKATA: The state Transport department is planning to implement speed limit management across state as well in an effort to reduce fatal road accidents, Transport minister Snehasis Chakraborty said.

A meeting of the state Lead Agency of Road Safety which includes transport, education, health, PWD and police amongst other departments was held on March 25. Discussion on ensuring road safety had taken place on that day. According to an official, the agency has set a target of reducing fatal road accidents by 10 per cent by the end of this financial year. In 2022, the state had witnessed 45 fatal accidents in which 93 people had lost their lives.

“Keeping ‘Save Drive Save Life’ slogan in forefront, the transport department’s aim is to lessen the number of accidents. For that, we will implement the speed limit management across the state and also put up required signage, cameras and keep a regular check on the health of the drivers, amongst other initiatives,” Chakraborty said.

Adding to the list of precautions that the state will take towards reducing road accidents, Chakraborty emphasised that more awareness campaigns will be done to make the school students, people living in and around fatal accident prone zones aware. “We can also take an NGO, which is working on road safety,” the minister mentioned.

The Audit team of the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety which had visited the state last year to observe the activities of these departments towards road safety had sent a report to the state Road Safety Council suggesting things that need to be improved in the state. The committee suggested more encouragement of the Good Samaritan scheme, mapping of ambulances by the health department, inclusion of road safety in a curriculum in schools, increasing enforcement by both the police and the transport department, as well as creating more awareness. Chakraborty said that the inclusion of road safety in school syllabus is in a discussion stage.

According to an official, an action plan of Rs 700 crore has been prepared which is subject to the approval. Out of which Rs 100 crore will be from the road safety scheme and Rs 600 crore will be from the different department funds.

Compared to 2019-2021, when the pandemic had struck and the road traffic had gone down significantly, the number of fatal accidents had also reduced. But there was a slight increase in 2022. However, in 2023 till March, the official said that the number of accidents have come down a little.