Addressing a state-level programme at the Convention Hall of Lok Seva Bhawan, the Chief Minister expressed serious concern over the rising number of road accidents in Odisha and across the country, and called upon citizens to strictly adhere to traffic rules. Declaring road safety as an integral component of good governance from today onwards, he said the government would pursue the issue with greater seriousness and accountability.
Majhi said the state’s road safety strategy is centred on the four globally recognised ‘E’s—Education, Enforcement, Engineering and Emergency response—focusing on awareness and training, strict rule enforcement, improved infrastructure and vehicle safety engineering, and prompt medical assistance during accidents. Expanding this framework, he proposed two additional ‘E’s: Environment, by enforcing pollution norms and promoting cleaner mobility, and Evaluation, to assess outcomes of existing measures and refine policies accordingly.To institutionalise accountability and encourage best practices, the Chief Minister announced the launch of the Mukhyamantri Sadak Surakhya Yojana Samman, under which districts, educational institutions and non-governmental organisations will be recognised for exemplary initiatives in road safety. High-performing districts will be rewarded, while those lagging behind will be held accountable. Schools and institutions demonstrating effective safety interventions will also be honoured, with the aim of spreading awareness across all sections of society.
In a first-of-its-kind initiative for ghat road safety, Majhi inaugurated an alert siren system at Kalinga Ghat. As part of a pilot project, sirens will sound from both ends of the ghat when vehicles approach, warning drivers in advance. If successful, the system will be replicated across other ghat roads in the state.
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