Do governments in India care about road safety? Are there consequences for departments whose actions jeopardise safety? Apparently not, with Motor Vehicles Act of 2019 providing weak penalties in the rare instance that officials and contractors are prosecuted for causing death due to bad design and faulty maintenance.
Section 198A(2) says, “Where failure on the part of the designated authority, contractor, consultant or concessionaire responsible under sub-section (1) to comply with standards for road design, construction and maintenance, results in death or disability, such authority or contractor or concessionaire shall be punishable with a fine which may extend to one lakh rupees.”
This year’s Road Safety Month has not begun well for Tamil Nadu, with road crashes killing six people in January, four in a highway black spot at Thoppur near Salem, two due to poor enforcement of rules by Traffic Police in and around Chennai. One victim was waiting at a traffic red light when she was run over.
Read that story here: Biker dies due to pothole in Chennai, but Police won’t say so
The other two reports are here:
Three vehicles catch fire after collision on Salem-Bengaluru after collision on Salem-Bengaluru highway
Bus driver jumps signal, fatally runs over woman
Police & Transport Departments are worsening the situation. A woman two-wheeler rider on Red Hills Main Road died after skidding in a pothole and being run over by a truck. Police failed to act against the civic agency responsible for the road.
Some basic questions arise:
1. Every day, thousands of government staff drive along roads in cities, towns. Why are they not made responsible for reporting bad conditions to the civic body through a portal? Primary responsibility is that of Police, civic agency, transport and revenue departments, starting with local staff. Failure to report issues leading to fatal crashes should lead to departmental action.
2. Why should not a fatal accident caused by road conditions require mandatory transfer of civic agency executives, even IAS officers? This will bring accountability and tone up administration. Repeat instances should lead to compulsory wait, suspension, increment cut.
3. Big data & mapping rule today, so why can’t technology be used to ask the public to report unsafe conditions, with a standardised format? This will provide a ready list of road black spots for repairs.
4. So many vehicles are registered in India – about 2.6 crore in a year – but State Transport Departments have not been modernised, and most continue to be cesspools of corruption run by touts. Why has India’s Union government, which proclaims the end of corruption, failed to legislate to clean up the system with its massive Parliamentary majority?
India, as the most populous country now, faces an epidemic of hyper motorisation, spurred by failed public transport policies and 1960s style road and public bus systems (try taking a bus in any major city).
When will this shameful saga end?
Straphangers United 