Need to follow road safety steps: Minister

Shimla, November 24

Public Works Depatrment (PWD) Minister Vikramaditya Singh today emphasized the need for strict adherence to road safety measures while undertaking construction of roads.

He was addressing a seminar on a special campaign for awareness on road safety organised by the Public Works Department in association with the Institution of Engineers, Himachal-Centre and Transport Department here today.

Road safety is important to safeguard the passengers and commuters, he added.

The minister said the government was giving utmost importance to safety engineering techniques as road safety measures should be an integral part of planning. Officers should make use of modern tools and make full use of Artificial Intelligence to study the road safety measures and black spots.

He said in view of the road safety measures all the line departments needed to work in co-ordination to ensure safety measures. “High priority should be given to identification and rectification of black spots (accident prone spots) so as to reduce accidents and mortalities,” he added.

He said, “Besides the construction of roads, measures should be taken to maintain its quality,” he emphasized. “Our task is not limited to just construction of roads but to adopt measures and engineering techniques so as to ensure the safety of commuters. As Himachal mulls to promote tourism on a large scale, the quality of our roads should be exceptional and we should have the best transportation system in the country.”

He said the government was committed to providing better transport system to the people of the state and the visitors and the department was working as per the norms to make their journey comfortable. He said the officers should go through case studies on safety measures and adopt the modern techniques on priority.

The hill roads were the only the means of ensuring development till the farthest corner. During the formation of the state, the road length was merely 243 km and at present every village in the state was connected by roads, he said. Even the remotest corners of the state were linked with the roads and steps were being taken to connect the few left out.

He said that road safety was one of the important components and pedestrians should also be made aware of necessary measures.

Engineer-in-Chief, PWD, Ajay Gupta said that almost all the roads in the state had been refurbished after the monsoons. The engineering techniques were being paid special attention while constructing roads besides ensuring safety measures.