Odisha: Transport department asks cops to improve highway patrolling

BHUBANESWAR: Contrary to expectations that the highway patrol system would improve road safety compliance and minimise the accident fatalities, it has failed to achieve the desired results.
The initiative’s failure is evident from a series of letters sent by the transport department to Odisha police to improve the performance of the highway patrol system launched by chief minister Naveen Patnaik on February 1, 2021. The aim of the initiative is to crack the whip on violators of traffic rules and shift the accident victims to nearby hospitals.
Highway patrol has been introduced on 20 mini-stretches covering 11 districts. But the fatalities have increased substantially in most districts except Ganjam and Puri. “Therefore, steps may kindly be taken for intensifying enforcement by the highway patrol teams for reduction of fatalities,” read a letter sent by the commerce and transport secretary Madhu Sudan Padhi to director general of police Abhay on Thursday.
had on May 8 highlighted the government’s displeasure on the performance of the highway patrol teams. The transport department has written three letters to the DGP in the last three months with the request to ensure better outcome by the highway patrol enforcement teams.
According to the statistics, the highway patrol teams penalised 137 traffic violators in February, 242 in March, 162 in April (all on 19 mini-stretches) and 136 offenders on 20 mini-stretches in May. At least 85 accidents were reported on the 19 stretches in February, 124 accidents in March, 168 in April and 85 road mishaps on 20 stretches in May. The highway patrol teams shifted 57 injured accident victims to hospitals in February, 98 victims in March, 114 in April and 66 injured in May.
The staff of the highway patrol units should intensify the enforcement activities as their performances are being reviewed by the Supreme Court committee on road safety. The committee has been expressing its displeasure to us over the rising number of accident deaths, a transport official said.
The number of accident deaths in the state increased to 1,877 between January and April this year from 1,471 during the corresponding months in 2020, taking the rise to a disturbing 27.6%.
The government has also asked the DGP to start the process of procurement and installation of speed laser guns in the highway patrol vehicles to detect over-speeding vehicles. At present, only the interceptor vehicles are fitted with the speed laser guns.