SC panel summons CS over alarming rise in road mishap deaths in UP

The country’s biggest state is witnessing an alarming rise both in the number of road accidents and deaths due to such mishaps, during the current year. This has prompted the Supreme Court’s Committee on Road Safety to summon the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary next week to personally explain the situation.

Chief secretary Anoop Chandra Pandey confirmed that he will be appearing before the committee on October 29.

“Yes, I will participate in a meeting called by the Supreme Court appointed committee on road safety next week,” he said over phone from Delhi, adding “We will explain to them the measures we are taking to control the rising number of deaths due to road accidents in the state. The committee may give us certain directions or suggestions that we will follow for better results.”

Over 15,000 people have died already and 20,000 were injured in more than 28,500 cases of road accidents in UP till August 31, 2018, even as the figures for the remaining one-third of the year are yet to come in.

“The number of road accidents and deaths occurring up to August this year, has registered a staggering growth of 11.84% and 13.63%, respectively, over the corresponding period of 2017,” transport department sources said quoting a report prepared by the traffic department.

The report lists 25,603 accidents killing 13,299 persons till August 31, 2017. In 2018, the total number of road accidents rose to 28,634, killing 15,111 persons till August 31. If the trend continues like this, number of deaths due to road accidents is feared to cross 22,500 by December 31.

“There is little possibility of any reversal in the trend. On the contrary, the situation may even worsen after fog sets in,” sources said.

The spurt in the number of deaths due to road mishaps in the current year is being viewed with grave concern. “The apex court’s committee on road safety is quite upset with UP and feels the state is not doing enough to deal with the situation,” they said.

The committee, according to sources, had expressed its intention of summoning the chief secretary several months ago but the authorities were getting the meeting deferred on one pretext or the other to avoid the CS’s personal appearance.

The three-member committee appointed in April 2014, holds meetings with different states to monitor road safety measures from time to time.

First Published: Oct 23, 2018 14:24 IST