Odisha Plans Monthly ‘Zero Fatality Week’ to Tackle Road Deaths

Bhubaneswar: Odisha will intensify its road safety drive with coordinated enforcement, infrastructure upgrades and faster emergency response as the State Government prepares to roll out a monthly ‘Zero Fatality Week’ campaign from September.

The first week of every month from September to March will be dedicated to the campaign, with the government directing district administrations and enforcement agencies to focus on reducing road crashes and preventing fatalities on vulnerable stretches.

The decision was taken at a high-level road safety meeting chaired by Development Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary Deoranjan Kumar Singh at Lok Seva Bhawan. The meeting brought together senior officials from the police, Commerce and Transport, health and other departments, along with district-level officials through video conferencing.

Officials reviewed the prevailing road safety scenario, examining accident patterns, major causes of crashes and stretches identified as particularly vulnerable. The Development Commissioner directed officials to ensure that the campaign translates into measurable reduction in fatalities rather than becoming a routine monthly exercise.

Enforcement will form a major component of the drive. Joint teams of police and Regional Transport Officers (RTOs) will conduct targeted checks against helmet violations involving both riders and pillion passengers, non-use of seat belts, over-speeding, drunken driving, mobile phone use while driving, wrong-side driving and signal jumping.

At the same time, authorities will take up immediate corrective measures at identified accident black spots. The Works and Rural Development departments, along with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), will coordinate repairs and safety improvements, including fixing potholes and installing crash barriers, blinkers and road signage.

The government will also focus on improving the response to road crashes, particularly during the crucial golden hour. District administrations have been asked to strengthen emergency medical arrangements and position ambulances near accident-prone stretches to ensure that victims can reach medical facilities without delay.

The meeting also reviewed the PM Rahat Yojana and stressed the need for wider public awareness about assistance available to accident victims. Citizens who step forward to help injured persons will be encouraged under the ‘Rah Veer’ and Good Samaritan principles.

Districts witnessing heightened accident risks due to mining and industrial activities, as well as stretches along national highways, will receive special attention. Collectors and SPs in these areas will be responsible for closely monitoring the implementation of road safety measures.

State DGP Vinaytosh Mishra, Principal Secretary of Commerce and Transport N.B.S. Rajput, Transport Commissioner Amitabh Thakur and other senior officials attended the meeting. District Collectors, zonal IGs, SPs and RTOs joined through video conferencing.

The Development Commissioner called for sustained road safety awareness beyond the designated campaign weeks and emphasised greater use of technology, data and information systems to monitor violations, identify accident risks and strengthen preventive measures across the state.