DEHRADUN: The accident in Nainital, which claimed nine lives early on Friday morning, has again raised concerns about road safety in Uttarakhand.
According to government data (updated till May 31), at least 409 people died and 594 others suffered injuries in the 659 accidents that took place across Uttarakhand in the first five months of this year.
The data further revealed that more accidents were reported from the hills in comparison to the plain regions. In the corresponding period last year, the hill state had recorded 536 road accidents.
Taking cognisance of the rise in cases of road accidents in Uttarakhand, chief secretary SS Sandhu on Friday wrote a letter to the concerned departments asking them to fix the accident-prone blackspots on priority. "Loss of lives in road accidents can be reduced by improving the condition of roads. There is an urgent need to prepare a special action plan to prevent road accidents, especially in the hills," said Sandhu.
In his letter, the chief secretary asked authorities to "mark the accident blackspots as sensitive areas" and complete all related works on priority. Sandhu has also ordered officials to install crash barriers on mountain roads at the earliest.
For junctions where two roads meet, Sandhu suggested "speed-calming" measures. Additionally, he also issued orders to complete road markings -- longitudinal, transverse, hazard, block, arrow, directional and facility markings.
Sandhu added that suggestions of the state road safety council should be kept in mind during road construction.
TOI had earlier reported that 7,000 road accidents took place in Uttarakhand between January 2017 and April 2022. These accidents claimed 4,700 lives and injured over 5,000 persons.
