RAIPUR,CG,BHARAT: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai emphasized the need for strict enforcement of helmet use for two-wheeler riders, seat belt compliance for four-wheeler drivers, and adherence to traffic rules.

He was chairing a meeting of the Chhattisgarh State Road Safety Council at his residence office to review the state’s road safety measures and strategies to reduce accidents. He called for robust public awareness campaigns to promote road safety.

Sai asked the officials to expedite the improvement of identified accident-prone ‘black spots’, hold regular meetings of the District Road Safety Committees, and complete the construction of trauma stabilization units to provide timely treatment to road accident victims.

As part of the meeting, the Chief Minister also launched the ‘Bus Sangwari App’, developed by the Transport Department, and unveiled a road safety poster.

Under the road safety initiatives, the School Education Department has incorporated traffic rule awareness chapters into textbooks for classes 1 to 10.

Traffic systems in Raipur, Bilaspur, and Nava Raipur are under electronic surveillance, with partial operations in Bhilai and Durg. Between September 2023 and October 2024, work on 101 accident black spots and 748 junctions was completed.

From January 2023 to October 2024, 7,826 driver licenses were suspended for traffic violations.

The Transport Department issued over 6.70 lakh challans, and the Police Department issued more than 4.87 lakh for traffic rule violations.

Funds have been allocated for trauma stabilization units in eight accident-prone areas, including Rajnandgaon, Dharsiwa, Abhanpur, Pali, Simga, Sukma, Bemetara, and Pathalgaon. Vehicle tracking devices have been installed in 14,261 vehicles, speed governors in more than 72,000, and panic buttons in 2,200 buses.

The meeting also addressed issues such as removing encroachments on footpaths, improving traffic indicators, and managing parking and service lanes. Officials highlighted that proper helmet and seat belt use could reduce road accident fatalities by up to 40%.