HC orders safety audit of all Uttarakhand roads, wants it done within one month

The order comes six days after an overloaded private bus fell into a gorge in state’s Pauri district killing 48 people and injuring 12 others

Updated on: Jul 6, 2018, 21:54:42 IST

Hindustan Times, Nainital | By Neeraj Santoshi

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The Uttarakhand High Court on Friday directed the government to undertake a ‘road-safety audit’ across state within one month and ensure remedial measures for checking roads accidents.

The mangled remains of a bus that fell into a gorge. At least 48 people were killed and 12 others injured in the accident. (PTI)

The order comes six days after an overloaded private bus fell into a gorge in state’s Pauri district killing 48 people and injuring 12 others.

A single bench of Justice Rajiv Sharma also ruled that the display of designation or description of office and unauthorized emblems on government and private vehicles be banned. “Writing of words like high court, army, police, journalist on private vehicles is also prohibited forthwith. This direction be implemented within 72 hours,” the order issued to the government through transport secretary said.

Disposing of a petition filed by one Arun Kumar in 2011, the bench also directed the transport secretary to establish 73 enforcement teams — one for each tehsil — over and above the existing teams to enforce the implementation of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. It also directed to install speed governors in every transport vehicle within a period of three months on ‘route specific’ basis.

To check drunken driving, HC directed the state government to provide the transport department at least 100 breath-analyzers within one week.

The court ruled that all the drivers and conductors throughout Uttarakhand should be in prescribed uniform. It also directed the state government to construct parapets, crash barriers and erect sign boards on all the 1000 vulnerable road accident points within three months.

The court also directed the transport department to register FIRs against the violators involved in over speeding, overloading, and use of mobile phones while jumping the red-light. “Transport department is authorized to seize the mobile phones temporarily for a period of 24 hours after issuing a valid receipt,” the order said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

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