Vikramaditya
Port Blair, May 21: After the upgradation of some Andaman Trunk Road stretches recently, a sharp increase in the number of road accidents has been noticed.
A large number of road accidents have resulted in the people to adopt precautionary measures in order to prevent loss of human life.
People are demanding speed limit signs and other necessary symbols to adorn the ATR.
It has also been recommended that the portion of the road that was upgraded should be kept under the police scanner. A vast majority of kids and reckless youths have been noticed to drive rashly on the trunk road and thereby causing danger to not only their lives, but to the lives of the others on the road as well.
The public demands safety measures to be taken for a better experience of using the newly fixed road.
Mr. Jijith Rekh, BJP spokesman, says that the negligent driving endangers the lives of the innocent people using the road for commute. According to him, there are two major reasons for road accidents. The first one is driving at high speeds and the other one is driving under the influence of alcohol or drunk driving.
As a solution to this problem, he suggests CCTV cameras to be installed on the national highway and using them to send E-challan or challan via SMS to the ones found guilty. He also suggests that highway police would be a better option to monitor the highway as compared to the regular police due to their sheer expertise in the area of highway patrolling.
Furthermore, strictly punishing repeat offenders can also assist in reducing accidents caused by negligence on the road. As a strict measure for example, cancelling the driving license of repeat offenders would provide just the right push needed to stop accidents in the future.
Whereas, Mr. Venkat Ram Babu, who is the State President of Jan Sena Part, said that the number of casualties in road accidents is increasing.
Suggesting on similar lines of installing CCTV cameras on the highway, Mr. Venkat further suggests barricading the ATR on key places for regular police checkup. The assistance of the police department would prove to be of great help in this cause and would end up saving numerous innocent lives.
Andaman & Nicobar Media Federation’s(ANMF) Vice-President Anadiranjan Biswas told Andaman Sheekha that the reckless and irresponsible driving specially by kids and youngsters puts the life of a regular pedestrian on the line. This section of the society specifically enjoys driving at high speeds without being accountable of what would happen in case of a mishap. He suggests that the police department should come forward and take the responsibility of the situation at hand.
He noticed that the pillion rider is required to wear a helmet; however, this rule is seldom followed. “The police can act stringently and stop mishaps from occurring in the future. Roadside signs and speed limit signs can also ensure that the traffic rules are followed and everyone who uses the road is safe, along with the others on the same road,” he said.
As the civil society is up in arms in this issue, we can only hope that the Administration will wake up before another major accident on the newly upgraded ATR stretch.
