Chhatrapur: Ganjam district has registered the highest number of road accident deaths in the state this year. Sources said Sunday that there has been a sharp rise in road mishap deaths. The state Transport department has sent a letter to the district administration on this issue. It has sparked concern among the inhabitants of the district. In the letter, the Transport Department has urged the district administration and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and various other stakeholders to take urgent preventive measures to prevent the rising death toll due to mishaps. The letter states that despite a 13.42 per cent decline in the number of road accidents for the period January to September in comparison to the same timeframe last year, the deaths have increased by 4.58 per cent. This development has sparked concern among various stakeholders as well as commuters. The report further states that 320 lives have been lost and 430 persons sustained critical injuries in 555 road accidents which took place January to September, this year.
For the same period last year, 306 lives were lost and 501 persons suffered serious injuries in 641 road accidents. It is this fatality rate which is worrying the district administration, sources said. The report also states that 414 persons were killed in 831 road accidents in 2022 while 377 persons killed in 734 accidents in 2021.
Similarly, 363 persons lost their lives in 616 road accidents in the year 2020. The figures show that the toll has been increasing steadily over the years. The accidents and subsequent casualties have not gone down despite the district Road Protection Committee holding meetings every month and issuing directions to prevent and reduce accidents. Several preventive measures have been taken including the formation of road patrolling committees.
However, these measures have not helped to reduce road mishaps. The National Highway-16 passing through the district has turned into a death trap for the commuters. The secretary of the Supreme Court Road Protection Committee has also expressed concern and visited Ganjam district recently. He took stock of the situation and expressed his displeasure at the NHAI officials for the increasing number of road accidents and death toll. However, his visit hardly had any impact on rash drivers. Many pointed out that unless rash driving is controlled, accidents will continue to happen and more and more people will die.