Bhubaneswar: In a bid to check road mishaps on major highways, the state government has given power to police to conduct patrolling on five national and state highways of the state.
Commerce and Transport department has allowed the police to start highway patrolling on five stretches Jaleswar–Ichhapuram, Bhubaneswar–Puri, Sambalpur–Sohela, Manguli–Sambalpur and Sambalpur–Rourkela.
“The state government does hereby specify the police officers of and above the rank of assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of police deployed/to be deployed for highway patrolling duty on the stretches of highways,” the department said in a notification.
The police officials have been given power to impose fines as per provisions of amended Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
The objective of the patrolling on highways is to reduce accidents and the fatalities arising out of them. In case of an accident, the teams will also provide trauma care immediately, sources said.
The teams deployed for highway patrolling will work in at least two shifts. Additional vehicles and police personnel will be deployed for the purpose.
As per reports, the fatality rate (death per 100 accidents) in Odisha stands at 47 as compared to the national average of 32.
Sambalpur-Sohela stretch of NH-53 has been identified as the biggest killer stretch in the state as at least 13 persons die on every 10 km of the road while Bhubaneswar-Puri NH-316 records 12 deaths on every 10 km. Similarly, NH-16 between Jaleswar and Ichhapurm recorded 11 deaths per 10 km. The other three highways also indentified as accident prone area, the sources said.