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Highways turn killer zones
As many as 60 accidents are taking place across Telangana State claiming 20 lives every day. Of this, national highways have been contributing to very high accident.
Hyderabad: As many as 60 accidents are taking place across Telangana State claiming 20 lives every day. Of this, national highways have been contributing to very high accident.
As many as 126 accidents happen for every 100 km on national highways. Yet, there is no proper system has been put in place to patrol these highways. Most of the time, local police or people help the accident victims.
According to official statistics, Telangana State has 2,592 km of national highways accounting for 10 per cent of 3,152 km of State highways. The national and State highways account for 46 per cent total accidents, while 21,093 km length of other roads record 56 per cent of accidents in the State.
This clearly shows the urgent need for patrolling, medical help, clamping restriction on speed of the vehicles and taking measures, such as setting up trauma care centres, preventing sales and consumption of liquor on highways in the State.
What is needed is a dedicated and strong road safety wing with sufficient manpower and other resources, according to experts in the field of road safety. However, the current Road Safety Authority is a toothless organisation, headed by an officer of the rank of Additional Director General of Police. And
this position is considered by many as an unimportant post and is given to an officer to keep him aside from the mainstream. The police department has sent proposals to the government more than a year ago to strengthen the Road Safety Authority.
It has proposed setting up of 50 highway police stations exclusively to guard against road accidents and other crimes on the highways. The proposal also has stressed the need to esblish trauma centres to provide medical aid to the injured.
Sources told The Hans India that at present, the highway patrols are conducted by the local police. But it is not possible for the local police to continuously do so because of lack of resources at their disposal.
Unless the government approves the proposal made by the police department for setting up a dedicated police wing for road safety, it is not be possible to ensure road safety. Not only the dedicated wing but adequate funds should be provided, the sources said. The government, however, is sitting on the proposal for more than a year for the reasons best known to those in power.
By B G Rajeswar
