Bhubaneswar: IIT Madras, with its strong reputation in road safety, will draft a comprehensive plan to effectively tackle road safety challenges in rural areas of the state, with a special focus on mining regions. Presently, IIT-Madras has partnered with various state governments in collecting data, analysing, and developing solutions. A meeting in this regard was convened here recently, with representatives from IITMadras, chaired by Principal Secretary of Commerce and Transport Department Usha Padhee and was attended by Transport Commissioner Amitabh Thakur.
Head of the Centre of Excellence for Road Safety at IIT-Madras Venkatesh Balasubramaniam shared comprehensive insights on utilising modern techniques and structured approaches to enhance road safety management. Various key points highlighted at the meeting includes, underlying causes of accidents, potential strategies to mitigate them, and the methods to save lives in accident-prone areas. The state government has intensified its efforts to reduce accidents and related fatalities, with a focus on rural areas in high-risk districts. On the occasion, Padhee underscored the significance of timely execution and the measurable impact of all planned initiatives. “Odisha has already made notable progress, achieving greater success. The state will require future collaboration with national and international experts and organisations,” Padhee added.