Road accident not only affects families, but also economy: Odisha CM

Bhubaneswar, Jun 3 (PTI) Urging people to follow traffic rules, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday said road accidents not only affect a family but also the nation's economy.

Majhi made the statement while launching the 'Zero Accident Day' initiative, as a part of which efforts will be made to prevent road accidents.

He said the programme will be held till June 28 in collaboration with IIT-Madras across the state, to ensure zero road accident casualties every day.

"If we can put a restriction on certain aspects, we can substantially bring down the number of deaths. Accidents are not just individual losses but collective losses. Therefore, I request everyone to strictly follow all traffic rules from leaving home till returning," he said.

Majhi said 75.2 per cent of people lose their lives in road accidents in India due to speed.

"The drivers are forgetting the golden rule of driving, which is speed thrills, but it also kills," he said, noting that more than 5,500 people died in road accidents in the state in 2023.

He said accidental deaths are also occurring due to driving on the wrong side, driving under the influence and using mobile phones while driving.

At the programme, the CM launched 55 projects worth Rs 575 crore.

Among them were 11 automated vehicle testing systems in different districts, and the second phase of the Driving Electronic Enforcement to Save Human Lives (DEESHA) project.

DEESHA will now be operational on an additional 485 km of highways in the state. Under this, automated e-challans are issued to drivers who do not follow traffic rules. He also laid the foundation stone for the project's third phase, under which over 1,000 km of highways will be covered.

Majhi also inaugurated the second registered vehicle scrapping centre in Jajpur district He also flagged off 15 premium buses, which will connect Puri to Ayodhya, Tirupati, Ujjain, Hyderabad and Bhilai, Bhubaneswar to Visakhapatnam, Bhawanipatna to Hyderabad, and Raigarh to Hyderabad.

He also inaugurated bus terminuses in Basudevpur and Dhamra in Bhadrak district, and Basta in Balasore district.

Road safety ambassadors -- filmstar-turned-MLA Siddhant Mohapatra and sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik, were present in the programme. PTI AAM AAM SOM