STEPS TAKEN TO REDUCE ACCIDENT BY TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT

PANJIM: The Transport Minister, Mr Ramkrishna Dhavalikar, on Monday, said that the transport department is focusing on reducing road accidents and is taking necessary steps in this direction.  Speaking informally to this daily, Mr Dhavalikar said annually there are around 250 deaths on the roads due to accidents, which is a matter of concern, adding over the years, creating awareness has gone a long way in reducing the number of deaths. He further said the number of deaths has reduced from around 350 annually to around 250 in the last few years, however, more is needed to be done.

The Transport Minister said that the government has spent around Rs 2.5 crore in purchasing road safety equipment like indicators etc for accident prone areas besides taking up corrective measures along the Margao-Panjim route. As part of the efforts to make the roads safer, along with the PWD, the department has started constructions of bus bays along the route, irrespective of whether the four-laning project is going ahead or not, he said.

When asked if events like Road Safety Week are mere formalities, he said, programmes like Road Safety Week attain significance in creating awareness, which will take time to yield results. Earlier in the day, Mr Dhavalikar inaugurated the 22nd Road Safety Week at a simple function at the Club Gasper Dias in the presence of the transport director, Mr Arun Dessai, managing director of KTC, Mr Venancio Furtado and others.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Dhavalikar stressed the need to educate all school students on road safety and traffic rules, so that they in turn can educate atleast five other persons on safety aspects to avoid accidents and save many precious lives.  The theme of the celebration for this year is ‘Road Safety is Mission Not Intermission.’

The Transport Minister said road safety awareness should not be restricted to mere one week, but it should be held throughout the year with emphasis on maintaining traffic discipline.

“We need good roads for proper safety,” he said informing that there are 7.5 lakh registered vehicles for 15 lakh population in Goa, which means one vehicle for every two persons. He further said the state government has already formed State Road Safety Council, and the members to the council will be appointed shortly. - (NT)