Concern over increasing rate of traffic accidents in Assam's Lakhimpur district

A CORRESPONDENT

LAKHIMPUR: The Lakhimpur district administration will initiate legal action against the parents or owner of the vehicles if any minor, under 18, meets with an accident, dies or sustains injuries in accident due to driving a car, bike etc or any other vehicles. This decision was taken in an urgent meeting of the District Road Safety Committee (DRSC) held on Friday. In this connection, Deputy Commissioner of Lakhimpur, Sumit Sattawan issued strict instructions to the departments concerned and asked them to take step for the same.

The meeting was organized under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioner in the conference hall of his office. Member-secretary of the DRSC-cum-Superintending Engineer of the PWD (Road), Lakhimpur and Majuli Division, Kanak Chandra Boro explained the objective of the meeting.

In the meeting, detailed discussion over the number of traffic accidents that took place in the district from January to August of the current year was held. During this period, the district witnessed a total of 133 traffic accidents. The meeting brought into light that most of the accidents took place on the NH-15. In this context, the Deputy Commissioner instructed the NH-15 officers to clean both sides of the highway by cutting the unwanted plants and shrubs. He also instructed them to install the traffic signs clearly by the side of the highway in the accident prone areas, to colour the speed breakers, to install streetlights. The Police Department and District Transport Department were asked to impose fines on motorists in drunken conditions.

On the other hand, SP Bedanta Madhab Rajkhowa, Executive Officer of Bihpuria and Narayanpur Municipal Board Jintu Sarmah called upon the District Transport Officer (DTO) to check and verify the registration, insurance documents of the buses, cars, bikes, e-rickshaws, autos, tempos etc. The DTO apprised the meeting that the department concerned had been conducting various programmes across the district, like street meetings, street plays along with drawing, quizzes, essay writing competitions among the students in view of ensuring the wearing of helmet, strict adherence to the traffic rules. The meeting decided to hold the DRSC meeting on the tenth day of each month instead of a three-month long gap.

Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma has expressed serious concern over the increasing rate of the traffic accidents in Lakhimpur district. Statistics has revealed that the majority of road accident injuries, fatalities in the State are reported in the economically active age group of 15-44 years thereby causing a significant loss to the highly productive age group. Assam loses one valuable life every 3 hours in accidents.

Under such circumstances, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma directed the Deputy Commissioner of Lakhimpur to initiate strict steps in order to prevent traffic accidents in the district.

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