Bhadrak (27 February 2027): The 48th meeting of the District Road Safety Committee was held at the Sadbhavana Conference Hall of the Collectorate under the chairmanship of District Collector Dillip Routray. The meeting focused on reviewing accident causes and identifying effective measures to improve road safety across the district.
Among those present were Additional District Magistrate Rabinarayan Sahu, Sub-Collector Sourav Chakraborty, Additional Superintendent of Police Arup Abhishek Behera, Regional Transport Officer Subhendu Ranjan Ray, Assistant Transport Officer Srikant Das, Works Department Superintending Engineer Debi Prasanna Ghosh, committee members Atis Behera and Srinivas Pati, journalist representative Rabinarayan Khilar, District Education Officer Jagabandhu Sahu, Chief District Medical Officer Pramod Praharaj, Information Sub-Divisional Officer Madhusmita Mohapatra, and other departmental officials.
Detailed discussions were held on accident prevention strategies and corrective measures. The Collector directed the Tahasildar, Regional Transport Office, and National Highways authorities to conduct a survey and take action to remove encroachments along National Highway-16 from Bhadrak through Bishnupur to Bhandaripokhari.
The meeting also decided to expedite road construction works near the RTO office and from Dahaniagadia to the new bus stand. Authorities were instructed to ensure installation of proper signage, strengthen enforcement against vehicles operating without helmets or valid documents, and intensify penalty collection for violations.
The National Highways authorities assured that highway lighting would be installed within the next seven days to enhance safety. With the monsoon approaching, discussions were also held on improving drainage arrangements from Mehtab Chhak to Aradi Chhak to prevent waterlogging.
Measures will be taken to curb illegal parking along highways, while school transport vehicles and auto-rickshaws carrying students will be subjected to strict verification and enforcement checks.
Officials further informed that under the Prime Minister’s relief scheme, accident victims would be provided financial assistance of ₹1.5 lakh within seven days. Additionally, information related to the Ama Rasta scheme will be made available through WhatsApp for easier public access.
The meeting concluded with a collective commitment from departments to strengthen coordination and implement timely measures to reduce accidents and improve road safety in the district.
