A report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India revealed that the BBMP roads in Bengaluru are more hazardous for users, with an average of 19-20 hazards per km, than the State and national highways.
The report pointed out hazards per km on 8.87 on State highways, 8.43 on major district roads, and 7.39 on national highways. It said joint inspections of sampled road stretches revealed that the BBMP roads were more hazardous than any other major roads in the State., it said.
The road managing agencies had also failed in timely identification and rectification of blackspots, where repeated and fatal accidents occur.
Fatal accidents
The report said the target set in the Karnataka State Road Safety Policy, 2015, was not realised as fatal accidents accounted for 30% of the road accidents in 2020 compared to 17.32% in 2015, though the number of fatalities declined by 22.24%, from 10,856 in 2015 to 9,760 in 2020.
The number of accidents declined in 2020 owing to COVID-19 induced lockdown in the State. The number of accidents declined from 44,011 in 2015 to 34,178 in 2020, said the CAG report on Performance Audit on Functioning of Karnataka State Road Safety Authority, which was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday.
The Government brought out the Karnataka State Road Safety Policy in 2015 and the Karnataka State Road Safety Authority Act, 2017, with the objective of reducing road accidents and mortality by 25% and 30%, respectively, by 2020, through coordinated effort among various agencies of the Government.
The number of persons injured declined from 56,971 in 2015 to 39,492 in 2020, the report said.
Rules not framed
The CAG report said rules required for carrying out the functions of KSRSA were not framed till October 2021 for implementing the provisions of the Act.
The report said driving licenses and fitness certificates to vehicles were issued without following due process as huge vacancies existed in the cadre of inspector of motor vehicles. The health department did not prepare any action plan for establishment of trauma care centres (TCCs) in 22 districts. The accident victims did not receive timely medical care in 90,000 instances, the report said.
