CM Kejriwal to personally oversee govt’s road-safety initiatives now

New Delhi: In a major move to improve road safety in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will now personally oversee the government’s road-safety initiatives.

This decision comes amid the government’s bid to further improve the safety standards of the city given how many families are ruined because of road fatalities every year. In addition to this, the Delhi government has also announced that it will be tightening the enforcement of traffic norms and taking strict action against violators.

With these measures, the government aims to reduce the number of accidents on Delhi’s roads and improve the safety of its citizens. Kejriwal chaired a high-level meeting on Tuesday to review Delhi’s Road Safety Standards and Initiatives.

The CM took stock of various projects and proposals during the meeting including diversion of compounding fees towards the Road Safety

Fund and setting up of safe school zones.

The CM reviewed road accident data of Delhi, highlighting his concerns about overspeeding on city’s roads. He also discussed the Bus Lane Initiative by the Enforcement branch of the Transport Department, road improvement projects and the strengthening of the golden hour treatment mechanism. The meeting was attended by Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot, senior officers of all concerned departments and experts from IIT Delhi.

The CM began the meeting with assessment of road accident data of Delhi. He was apprised by the officials that the government has identified that 47 per cent of the accidents take place on National and State roads whereas, this road network accounts for only 10 per cent of the city’s roads. As per the data, overspeeding is among the most major reasons behind accidents as commuters tend to drive faster on wider roads. High-risk locations for such accidents are often road sections passing through pedestrian-heavy areas such as schools, metro stations, and commercial areas.

Issuing a statement over the initiative, Kejriwal said, “The safety of Delhi’s citizens on the roads is a matter of utmost importance to us. Our government is committed to implementing a comprehensive approach to road safety. We aim to reduce the number of road crashes and fatalities in Delhi and ensure the safety of all commuters, especially pedestrians and vulnerable road users. We will continue to work closely with all concerned departments and experts to make Delhi’s roads safer for everyone.”