No lapse in road safety will be tolerated amid fog, cold: UP Chief Secretary

Lucknow, Dec 19 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary S P Goyal on Friday warned that any lapse in road safety measures amid dense fog and cold wave conditions would not be tolerated, directing officials to enforce travel guidelines and remain on high alert to prevent accidents.

Chairing a high-level meeting with senior officials on the instructions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Goyal stressed that public safety must be given the highest priority.

The police and the administration should ensure enhanced patrolling, functional road lighting, reflectors and round-the-clock availability of emergency services.

"The life of every person on the road is extremely important. No negligence will be tolerated under any circumstances," the chief secretary said.

He directed officials to identify dark and black spots, step up coordination with highway authorities and take action against traffic violators.

On Tuesday, at least 25 people were killed and 59 were injured in a series of accidents attributed to poor visibility, with the worst incident reported from the Yamuna Expressway in Mathura, where a multi-vehicle pile-up claimed 13 lives.

Four people were killed each in Basti and Unnao, while two fatalities were reported each from Meerut and Barabanki, officials said. The Mathura crash toll rose to 19 on Thursday.

Infrastructure & Industrial Development Commissioner Deepak Kumar, Additional Director General (Traffic) A Satish Ganesh, Transport Commissioner Kinjala Singh and other senior officials were present at the meeting, according to an official statement.

During the meeting, the chief secretary also emphasised closer coordination with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and state highway authorities, it said.

According to the statement, Goyal also instructed authorities to launch public awareness campaigns advising motorists to exercise caution during foggy conditions and to ensure compliance with the travel guidelines. PTI KIS SHS SHS