Odisha: Road safety awareness 

BHUBANESWAR:  As deaths from road accidents have increased in Odisha, the State Government has decided to create awareness among people in a bid to reduce the number.The situation was reviewed at a high-level preparatory meeting on observing the Road Safety Week presided over the Minister of State for Commerce and Transport Nrusingha Charan Sahu. As there was an increase in road accident fatalities by about 3.2 per cent in 2016 compared to 2015, the Supreme Court committee on road safety had directed the State Government to take all possible steps to reduction of fatalities by 10 per cent in 2017.

However, the fatalities increased by 7.33 per cent in Odisha in 2017 compared to 2016. The scenario has further worsened during January and February, 2018 compared to the same period in 2017 as there is a rise in deaths from road accidents by 24 per cent. Odisha is one of the five states along with Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Chhattisgarh to have recorded an increase in road accident deaths while in the rest of the country it has reduced.The week will be observed from April 23 to 30 throughout Odisha. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will attend the concluding function as the chief guest.