BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) on Thursday asked the state government to pay Rs 5 lakh compensation to parents of a deceased Plus III student Annapurna Choudhury, who was run over by a truck on September 5, 2019 in front of Ravenshaw University campus in Cuttack. The Commission also asked the state government to ensure better management of traffic.
This matter was initiated on receipt of a complaint filed by Sivasankar Mohanty, a lawyer from Orissa High Court Bar Association, in 2019, drawing the Commission’s attention to the tragic death of a young Plus III girl student at College Square in Cuttack due to road accident by a speeding truck.
Taking note of the prevailing situation of traffic hazards and road accidents in twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, the Commission extended the purview of the complaint suo motu to examine the traffic management system in general in consultation with DCP, traffic, Police Commissionerate (Bhubaneswar-Cuttack) and regional transport officers (RTOs) of the twin city.
In the course of the hearings, ACP traffic, Cuttack, submitted its report on traffic management. DCP traffic has also submitted the report elaborating steps towards proper traffic management to ensure safety of the commuters on the roads in the twin cities. The Commission has also interacted with DCP traffic regarding more effective traffic management to ensure that there is no vehicular accident.
After going through all reports and discussions with the police personnel, the Commission passed 21 recommendations to manage traffic and stop road accidents. “The government should consider increasing the strength of traffic police in various towns of Odisha, especially in the twin cities. The existing traffic police should undergo periodic refresher courses of training at least twice in a year where they should be sensitized with the skills of implementing the traffic rules and regulations,” said the rights panel in its recommendations.
The Commission also suggested the state government take steps in repairing damaged roads, filling up the potholes and cracks regularly. It also recommended the government to widen some portion of the road in the twin city to ensure smooth flow of vehicles. The bottleneck and defective designs near some traffic posts should be identified and rectified to reduce traffic congestion and accidents, said the OHRC.
Other OHRC recommendations:
--Government should take the help of expert technical team with respect to road traffic engineering who will examine the road systems of the twin city
--Government should take steps to construct bicycle pathways on both sides of the road and it should be free from encroachment. It can encourage people to use bicycles to reduce vehicular traffic and for health benefits
--Multi-level parking should be constructed near market complexes throughout the city
--Frequent roadside checks to ensure compliance of traffic rules should be undertaken by traffic police
--Create awareness regarding not using horns too often. To start with, two roads of Bhubaneswar (Sishu Bhawan to Vani Vihar and Airport crossing to Acharya Vihar) should be declared as ‘No Honking Zones’.
--Create awareness regarding traffic rules and regulations especially among children.
