Maharashtra: Govt gears up to eliminate 1,004 black spots on state roads

Ex-MLC Vinayak Mete’s car after the mishap.

With the deaths of former MLC Vinayak Mete and Tata Group ex-chairman Cyrus Mistry in road accidents in a span of 20 days renewing the focus on road safety, the government has started working on eliminating 1,004 black spots on the state highways. These spots account for 53 per cent of accidents in Maharashtra, while speeding is responsible for 72 per cent of the mishaps.

CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis reviewed road safety on Monday, asking the administration to work on an action plan to reduce road accidents and fatalities.

The Shiv Sangram chief (right) died on August 14

Black-spot elimination will be done in coordination with district collectors, superintendents of police and the agencies that build and maintain roads.

"Road fatalities are on the rise and the large number of youths perishing is a big concern. Black spots on roads where accidents recur have been identified and they need to be eliminated on an urgent basis. Dangerous road dividers should be removed," the CM said in a statement after Monday's review, which gave him statistical highlights.

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The CM asked for the inclusion of road safety awareness in the syllabus in schools and colleges and wanted helmets to be made compulsory. He suggested that driving schools be strengthened and the facilities of trauma care units examined.

In the meeting, it was decided that an automated driving test module be put in place for issuing licences. The state will have automated vehicle testing facilities at 23 places.

Go strict on repeat offenders

Fadnavis asked for suspending the driving permits of repeated traffic offenders. "Drivers who have been fined repeatedly should not be allowed to drive for at least a month. Their licence should be suspended for at least 30 days or more depending on the seriousness of the offence," the DCM directed.

He said lane cutters on expressways would be monitored and punished through a dedicated workforce. "Reckless drivers should be chased down the road and penalised. The Mumbai-Pune Expressway needs such action with immediate effect," he said.

Fadnavis directed the authorities to put in place a smart traffic control system along the soon-to-be-inaugurated Samruddhi Super Expressway. "We have such a smart system world over, but here. Samruddhi could be the first one of the finest and smartest roads in the world," he added.

On August 14, Mete, chief of the Shiv Sangram, died in a road accident on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway while Mistry was killed in an accident while travelling from Ahmedabad to Mumbai in a Mercedes on September 4.

Aug 15
When Vinayak Mete died in an accident on Mumbai-Pune Expressway