PANAJI
With accidents continuing unabated in Goa, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant's recent review meeting with officials of connected departments and decisions taken therein, including the one to Public Works Department (PWD) to conduct an audit of all major and internal roads has come into sharp focus.
According to Transport Director, Rajan Satardekar, the audit of roads is crucial but the continued violation of traffic rules and laws in spite of heightened enforcement is worrisome and mishaps continue to occur.
On Thursday morning, yet another young life was lost when a twenty-something youth from Shirvoi, Quepem died after driving into stray cattle.
Satardekar said, electronic surveillance and enforcement is being enhanced following the deliberations at the review meeting which was chaired by the Chief Minister.
The traffic division of the Goa police is also being roped in for a concerted effort to arrest the trend of rising accidents and in this regard, powers to issue challans for traffic violations have been conferred to head constables as well. The men-in-uniform are also set to put into use drones for monitoring traffic as well as enforcement.
Meanwhile, PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral said, the audit of internal roads suggested by Sawant will be implemented using the system put in place by the PWD to give code numbers to all the roads in the State.
Cabral said the Chief Minister's instructions to his department to audit internal roads in the backdrop of rising accident cases has still not come to his desk via official channels even as he indicated that it is imperative.
