Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 9: Noting that spreading awareness about road safety is vital to reduce traffic accidents, the J&K Road Safety Council headed by Chief Secretary, Mohammad Iqbal Khandey today reiterated that Road Safety Awareness Programme should not be confined to a particular week in a year rather the exercise should be conducted throughout the year.
Chairing the 2nd meeting of the J&K Road Safety Council here, the Chief Secretary recommended that Chapters on Road Safety should be made a compulsory part of the school curriculum especially for students in higher classes. He said the matter should be taken with School Education Department immediately so that it can be incorporated from the next academic year.
The Council observed that proper crash investigation regarding the actual cause of accidents will certainly help in adopting effective remedial measures and prevent accidents especially in accident prone areas. In this regard it was recommended that Road Accident Data Management System must be strengthened.
On raising road infrastructure in the State as per standard guidelines, the Council suggested that a framework to clear the road design as per standards should be evolved depending on the type of road project. Besides, the Council also recommended that availability of parking space be made compulsory feature while giving building permissions even for private houses.
The Council also recommended that fitness tests for commercial vehicles should be conducted by the Board of Experts at every district headquarter besides fitness centers for certification and inspection of motor vehicles should be established at Srinagar and Jammu.
Regarding presence of emergency medical services for road accidents the Council underscored the importance of Trauma Care Centers and presence of ambulatory services fitted with advanced life support system at regular intervals on all highways across the State.
It was informed in the meeting that 100 kanals of land has been acquired at Ghaink, Jammu for establishing Institute of Driving and Research for which the DPR has been forwarded to the Union Government. As regards to establishment of IDTR at Srinagar, the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir was asked to identify land for the purpose.
The Council also recommended strict enforcement of safety laws observing that all laws pertaining to road safety as laid down in the Motor Vehicles Act need to be effectively implemented on the ground.
Principal Secretary Planning & Development, Principal Secretary Home, Commissioner Secretary Transport, Commissioner Secretary Health and Medical Education, Commissioner Secretary R&B, Divisional Commissioner Jammu and other officers were present in the meeting.
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