Odisha Launches First-Ever ‘Zero Accident Day’ to Promote Road Safety and Modern Transport Infrastructure

Bhubaneswar: In a landmark move to reduce road fatalities and enhance public transport infrastructure, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi today launched Odisha’s first-ever ‘Zero Accident Day’ campaign at the Lokseva Bhawan Convention Centre. The initiative, developed in collaboration with IIT Madras, aims to instill a culture of road safety and awareness across the state and will run until June 28.

Urging citizens to remain vigilant from the moment they leave their homes until they return, CM Majhi described road accidents as not just personal tragedies but blows to the entire social and economic fabric. “Every life lost is a void that affects a family, a community, and our progress,” he said.

The Chief Minister highlighted that over 75% of road fatalities in India are attributed to speeding and stressed the importance of abiding by traffic rules. “Speed thrills, but it also kills,” he warned, while also identifying driving under the influence, wrong-side driving, and mobile phone usage as major contributors to road mishaps.

In line with the campaign, the Chief Minister unveiled a slew of initiatives worth ₹575.77 crore aimed at improving road safety and transport services in Odisha. These include:

• Automated Driving Testing Systems (ADTS): Eleven new centers were inaugurated in districts like Sonepur, Chandikhol, and Balangir, set up with ₹24 crore to ensure transparency and automation in driving license issuance.

• DISHA Phase II & III: The second phase of the Driving Electronic Enforcement to Save Human Lives (DISHA) project was inaugurated at a cost of ₹215 crore, covering 485 km of highways. The foundation stone for Phase III was also laid, aiming to extend coverage to 1,007 km.

• Automated Vehicle Testing: Odisha’s first Automated Vehicle Testing Centre was launched in Cuttack, with the foundation laid for 20 more such centers at a combined cost of ₹211 crore, to ensure tech-enabled vehicle fitness checks.

• Shri Jagannath Express: CM Majhi flagged off 15 premium Volvo buses under this initiative, connecting Odisha to major pilgrimage destinations like Ayodhya, Tirupati, and Ujjain with an investment of ₹27.3 crore.

• Modern Bus Terminals and Scrapping Facility: New Atal Bus Stands were inaugurated at Basudevpur and Dhamra (Bhadrak) and Basta (Balasore). The second Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility was launched in Jajpur to remove unfit vehicles from roads. The Odisha State Road Transport Corporation’s Integrated Transport Management System (ITMS) and Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) were also inaugurated.

As part of the event, the Chief Minister interacted virtually with citizens who had benefitted from recent transport reforms. Manswini Sahu, a Jajpur resident who passed the ADTS test, Meena Kumari Behera, a passenger en route to Tirupati, and Sanjay Mallick of the Chandbali Nautical Training Institute expressed their gratitude for the government’s citizen-centric efforts.

Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena lauded the CM’s efforts, stating that these reforms mark a significant step toward safer and more efficient transportation. Messages from actor and MLA Siddhant Mahapatra and Padma Shri sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik further emphasized the need for collective commitment to road safety.

In a heartfelt moment, five individuals — Abinash Panigrahi, Bishwaranjan Padhi, Panchanan Das, Srinivas Behera, and Sabita Rani Parida — were felicitated by the Chief Minister for their heroic acts in saving road accident victims.

The ceremony concluded with a road safety pledge led by government officials and attendees, affirming Odisha’s commitment to making its roads safer for all.