Raipur. On the fourth day of the monsoon session of Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly, on Thursday, the House discussed the increasing number of deaths in road accidents in the state. While discussing the matter of urgent public importance under Rule 139, the members expressed concern over the increasing accidents and talked about making helmets compulsory. BJP MLA Ajay Chandrakar raised this issue in the House. He said, lack of coordination between departments like Transport Department, Local Government Department, PWD Department and Health Department is also an important reason for the increase in road accidents.
Ajay Chandrakar said, compared to 2023, 6323 road accidents have occurred in the first quarter of 2024. Statistics show that about 20 people die in such incidents every day. 73.43 lakh vehicles are registered in this state. There are 18 lakh heavy vehicles. What is the load capacity of rural roads built under PMGSY? If the highest density of accidents is in cities like Korba, Raigarh, Raipur, can a cess be imposed on the industries operating here? How can the loss of life and wealth be prevented? The House can be unanimous on this.
Ajay Chandrakar said, the case of hit and run is hot in Maharashtra. Bad roads, over speeding, political pressure is exerted to avoid such action. What is the situation after the accident? The injured should not get timely treatment. The first five minutes are the most important for the injured. There is no clear system of government help. Have the ministers of four-five departments sat together and discussed this? One important reason is the lack of coordination among the departments.
Chandrakar further said, is the traffic setup in Chhattisgarh according to police research and development? When there is a VIP movement, it will be checked, but who will check when the general public is walking on the road. Checking overloading is a festival. Driving on the road after drinking alcohol is a festival. I was also the Home Minister for three months. I had made helmets compulsory. Every evening I used to get a report. Come with me to the sand mines, no action is taken on even a single overloading. There is not a single government driving school in Chhattisgarh. Even today, drivers are brought from Punjab to drive harvesters in Chhattisgarh. There are black spots all over the state. What is the willpower to eliminate these black spots? Can a trauma unit be opened from CSR or DMF?
He said, we can create a unified traffic command for Naya Raipur, where there is no traffic, but can we create a traffic command centre in Raigarh? Ajay Chandrakar said, license should not become a means of corruption. Can departments like Transport Department, Local Government Department, PWD Department and Health Department sit together and find a solution to this?
Congress MLA Kunwar Nishad said that road accidents are a matter of concern. These increasing figures will have to be considered. For this, strict rules need to be made. Rules are made and after a few days the situation comes back to normal. The tendency of driving under the influence of alcohol should be banned.
BJP MLA Bhavna Bohra said, strict rules should be made against drunk driving. People will be found with bottles of alcohol in their hands, but no helmet on their head. In 99 percent of the cases, the police do not check the seat belt.
BJP MLA Kiran Dev said, this issue is not related to any one political party. This is the problem of all classes and all areas. With the increasing population, the number of vehicles will keep on increasing. There will be no reduction in this, but it is important to know how to prevent accidents. Advanced technology is used in foreign countries. When I was the mayor, I went to Malaysia. At a traffic signal in Malaysia, when the red signal came on, the bus stopped. A car stopped right next to it. When I went to the Prime Minister’s residence, I came to know that it was his car. There is such a rule there. The simple meaning of an accident is that it can happen to anyone at any time. Black spots should be identified. Such spots need to be arranged.
BJP MLA Sushant Shukla said that while coming from Bilaspur, I saw a truck throwing sparks. When the truck was stopped and checked, it had all the valid documents. Valid documents are being made in a fraudulent manner. The problem of overloading is also a big one. The government should leave its mark of impartiality on this serious issue.
Leader of Opposition Dr. Charandas Mahant said, Ajay Chandrakar has told the House today how a matter of public importance is discussed in the House. New members will learn a lot from this. Around 336 deaths occur in Korba in a year. More than two thousand deaths have occurred in the state in just five months. 25 thousand trucks run in Korba. Out of these, how many trucks have only the driver. There is no helper. The papers of the truck drivers are with the police. Who will stop them? Today everyone is getting corrupt. Who will stop this? Ajay Chandrakar has unnecessarily tried to enter the jurisdiction of the Union Home Minister. The Union Home Minister had brought a rule that a driver can be sentenced to up to ten years in case of an accident. With such a rule, at least the drivers will be cautious.
Mahant said, whether a cement road is being built today or a tar road, potholes are bound to appear in six months. Strict action should be taken against vehicles that violate the rules. The excise department is also responsible. Liquor shops are opening on the side of the state highway. Sitting places have been made. People are going out after drinking. This is also increasing the number of accidents. There is a need to introduce a rule of wearing helmets. It should be strictly implemented. A helmet of Rs 500 will save lives.
Speaker Dr. Raman Singh said, most drivers do not have good eyesight. If an investigation is done, 20 percent of the drivers will be found. I had a driver whose eyesight was not good. I came to know about it after fifteen days. If the eyesight is corrected, many incidents can be prevented.
Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma said, a substantial discussion has taken place under Rule 139. Everyone’s concern is justified. India ranks 20th or 25th in population density. The arrangements in foreign countries are better because the law is strictly followed there. The response time of 108 ambulance is 30 minutes. It also has an advanced life support system. Dial 112 service is available in 16 districts. In the coming days, it will be implemented in the entire state.
Home Minister Sharma said, accidents also happen due to animals on the roads. Two people are deployed every few kilometers to remove animals. Animals should have radium around their necks. Everything cannot be left to the government administration. Public awareness is also necessary. If the members of the House are passing through the roads, they should stop there and play their role in removing animals. 373 institutions are working for driving license. One of these is of the government and the others are private institutions, which have been recognized. 40 percent of accidents can be prevented by wearing helmets and seat belts. A road safety committee has been formed under the chairmanship of the collector at the district level. 55 meetings have been held since January. At the state level, a meeting is held under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary. We will soon work to improve the black spots. All drivers’ eyesight will be checked. Drivers will be given glasses if needed.
Ajay Chandrakar said that when Dr. Raman Singh was in power, a law was made in this house on social issues. Later, a law was brought in the country on this. The country has adopted it.
