Lucknow, Mar 2 (UNI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday while expressing concern for the timely treatment of accident victims, proposed to set up hospital facilities along both sides of all expressways, similar to food plazas.
The CM was chairing a meeting of the UP State Road Safety Council, which was attended by the ministers of the departments concerned, senior government officials, Divisional Commissioners, District Magistrates, Police Commissioners and Superintendents of Police.
During the meeting, he Chief Minister issued essential directives to reduce road accidents in the state effectively.
Reviewing the annual data on road accidents, Yogi highlighted that 46,052 accidents took place in 2024, resulting in 34,600 injuries and over 24,000 fatalities, figures he described as deeply distressing. Expressing concern for the timely treatment of accident victims, he proposed setting up hospital facilities along both sides of all expressways, similar to food plazas.
Emphasising the need for urgent action, he directed all the departments related to road safety to work in coordination to curb accidents. He also directed the officials to identify and rectify black spots on all state routes.
Besides, he called for setting up of trauma centres along with deployment of ambulances and trained medical staff at hospitals in all divisional headquarters.
The CM said that in 2024, out of 75 districts in the state, 20 districts, including Hardoi, Mathura, Agra, Lucknow, Bulandshahr, Kanpur Nagar, Prayagraj, Sitapur, Unnao, Barabanki, Lakhimpur Kheri, Bareilly, Aligarh, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Shahjahanpur, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Badaun, Meerut and Bijnor, recorded the highest fatalities in road accidents.
He said, "These districts accounted for 42 percent of the total accident-related deaths in the state."
To address this issue, he directed the officials to identify the causes of accidents and enhance public awareness about road safety.
Yogi emphasised the importance of regular meetings of the Divisional Road Safety Committee, directing that they should be held monthly at the district level and quarterly at the divisional level to prevent road accidents.
He expressed concern that only one meeting was held last year in six divisions, including Ayodhya, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Azamgarh, Saharanpur and Agra, and called for an increase in the frequency of these meetings. However, he expressed satisfaction with the four meetings conducted in Basti, Lucknow, Gorakhpur and Mirzapur.
The CM directed Balrampur, Firozabad, Gonda, Chandauli and Jaunpur districts, which had fewer District Road Safety Committee meetings in 2024, to conduct meetings within this week. He also directed the 38 districts that held 10 or more meetings to continue organising them according to the government's SOP.
Highlighting the primary causes of road accidents, including overspeeding, drunken driving, wrong-side driving, jumping signals and use of mobile phone use, he stressed the need to raise public awareness.
He urged the Basic Education, Secondary Education and Higher Education Department to conduct activities related to road safety in schools and colleges. He recommended incorporating traffic rules into schools' curriculum under the Basic and Secondary Education Departments.
Yogi said, "No liquor shops should be permitted along expressways and highways. The signage for these shops is often extensive and should be reduced in size."
He directed the authorities to prohibit buses without permits from operating on roads and to take strict action against illegal vehicles and overloaded trucks. He emphasised that vehicles from other states without permits must be stopped at the borders.
Besides, the CM called for engaging with the Transport Association and Vehicle Association to ensure that long-distance vehicles have two drivers. He highlighted the need to increase the number of cranes, patrol vehicles and ambulances on expressways and highways.
He pointed out that surveillance cameras are installed on only four of the 93 NHAI roads in the state. He directed that cameras be installed on the remaining roads as well.
Expressing concern over frequent accidents, Yogi emphasised the need for foot over-bridges at critical points on NHAI roads and directed the officials to identify such locations and proceed with their construction. He stressed that road safety signage must be installed on all major roads across the state.
He also raised concerns about minors driving e-rickshaws in urban areas and directed officials to enforce strict measures to prevent this. He called for verifying all e-rickshaw drivers and emphasised the need to keep the RTO free from middlemen by conducting periodic random checks.
Addressing the issue of traffic congestion, the CM pointed out that the state has adequate manpower to manage traffic efficiently. He suggested training personnel from the civil police, PRD and Home Guard to improve traffic management.
He directed that table-top speed breakers be constructed near hospitals, schools and main markets to enhance road safety.
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