STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: Assam has recorded 3,843 deaths in different types of accidents in 2019, the highest in the entire north-eastern region.
The latest report released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has revealed that over 41 percent deaths in road accidents in Assam take place with two-wheelers due to overspeeding, reckless driving and overtaking. The traffic accidents in the State in 2019 comprise 8,055 road accidents, 591 railway accidents and 5 railway crossing accidents.
Of 8,055 road accidents, as many as 3,245 cases proved fatal in the State. While 1,362 people have died due to two-wheeler accidents, 682 and 285 people lost their lives while travelling by car and bus respectively. While 1,479 had died in accidents on the national highways, as many as 1,049 lost their lives in the other roads and 717 in the State highways.
A senior official in the Traffic department of Assam Police said majority of accidents are taking place due to reckless and negligent driving. He said drunk driving is another major cause of accidents that often prove fatal.
On other hand, lack of modern infrastructures and facilities to ensure smooth management of traffic on roads is another reason for accidents particularly in Guwahati. For example, 26 out of 34 automated traffic signals in Guwahati are non-functional. Such non-functional traffic signals are situated at the ABC police point, Ganeshguri point, Chandmari point, UlubariChariali point, Gauhati High Court point, Guwahati Club point, Paltan Bazar point, Bhangagarh flyover (below) point, Six Mile point, JayanagarChariali point, HatigaonChariali point, among others.
Interestingly, no one seems to know who is responsible for maintaining these traffic signals.While the officials at Guwahati Municipal Corporation and Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority say that they are not responsible for maintenance of traffic signals, an official in Kamrup (Metropolitan) Administration said there is confusion about the department or organization entrusted with the responsibility of looking after the automated traffic signals in the city.