How Safe Are Roads In Odisha? Central Team To Carry Out Audit

Bhubaneswar: A central team will carry out a road safety audit in Odisha to check for implementation of directions issued by a Supreme Court committee on road safety.

The audit will be carried out by the Delhi Integrated Multi Modal Transit System (DIMTS) in consortium with the Transport Research and Injury Prevention Programme (TRIPP) of IIT-Delhi.

Besides covering national highways, state highways and major district roads, the safety audit will also cover major cities such as Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Berhampur and Rourkela, among others.

The audit will cover every aspect concerning road safety — quality of roads, road-construction techniques, road markings, signages, defects and black spots, footpaths, implementation of traffic rules and action taken against violators, among others.

The team will undertake field surveys and hold meetings with various state departments to collect road safety-related data and documents. The team will also visit driving training institutes and vehicle inspection centres in the state.

Ahead of the team’s visit, Bishnupada Sethi, Principal Secretary, state Commerce and Transport Department, has written to various departments and agencies like the NHAI, State Crime Record Bureau, CID, Crime Branch, Works Department, S&ME Department, H&UD Department, Home Department and H&FW Department to be ready and extend full cooperation to the central team.