Committee to rope in medical experts to boost road safety

PANAJI

In view of a rise in road accident fatalities and grievous injuries, the North Goa District Road Safety Committee (DRSC) has decided to involve medical experts and strengthen inter-departmental coordination to improve road safety across the district.

During its meeting held under the chairmanship of Additional Collector-I Gurudas Desai, the members expressed concern over the increasing number of serious accidents and accordingly resolved to invite a representative from Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC) to future DRSC meetings to gain a clearer understanding of the nature of injuries sustained in accidents and the most common causes of deaths.

As part of preventive measures, the committee decided to recommend setting up of children transportation committees in every school to ensure safer commuting for students. The Tourism Department will also be roped in to strengthen road safety initiatives, particularly as a significant number of tourists are involved in road accidents in the State.

The meeting was attended by Jude A D Carvalho, Superintending Engineer, PWD and Member Secretary; Rajesh B Naik, Chairman, Lead Agency; Sudesh Narvekar, DySP Traffic (North); Roland Martins, Coordinator, GOACAN; Sudesh Velip (HQ) North; B A Sawant, Additional Director of Transport (North), among others.

The committee reviewed the latest directives of the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety (SCCoRS) and discussed the preparation of the Action Taken Report for North Goa district. It also examined the preliminary inspection report of approach roads to the Karmali Railway Station and deliberated on measures to address the issue of stray cattle on National Highways.

The DRSC further decided to undertake an awareness drive against drink-and-drive violations, promote the Rah Veer (Good Samaritan) Scheme, and observe National Road Safety Month from January 1 to 31, 2026, across North Goa.