To curb increasing road accidents, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is proposing to install speed management devices on urban roads in cities with a population of over four lakh, state highways and national highways.
As per the Ministry proposal, the devices will have speed monitoring cameras capable of recording registration plates of the vehicles and occupants facial recognition cameras and machine-learning-based video monitoring.
These devices will be installed along important roads, junctions, and all its cameras will be connected to a Command and Control Centre, with few centers that will be mobile.
The Ministry is planning to fund states to implement this measure under a new scheme to curb road accidents, as the Government target to reduce the fatality rate by 30 per cent by March 2027.
The scheme, which aimed at 'zero road fatalities on Indian roads,' also proposes setting up Integrated Road Accident Data Base(IRAD) to help law and enforcement authorities to analysing causes of crashes and in devising safety interventions to reduce such accidents, said the official.
The scheme also involves development of dedicated lanes for two-wheelers on state highways and urban roads, introduction of a chapter on road safety for classes 6-9 in 2022-23 and up to class-12 subsequently.
Deployment of Advanced Traffic Management System, campaigns on vehicle safety and driver training, establishment of a Command and Control (Data) Centre for ambulances, establishment of automated vehicle fitness centres are some of the other initiatives planned under the scheme.
Karnataka is one among 14 states, where highest road accidents reported over the years, to get funds under the scheme from the Road Transport Ministry.
Other states to get funds are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar, Telangana, West Bengal, Odisha, Haryana and Assam.
The centrally-sponsored six-year programme, which will be started from 2022-23, will be implemented in 14 states that are now contributing to 85 per cent of the total road fatalities in the country. The Centre is likely to fund 7,270 crore initially where pilot projects will be implemented in select cities. The beneficiary states also have to share some amount to implement this, said the official.
In 2019, the country reported a total 1.51 lakh road deaths in 4.49 lakh accidents. Of the total deaths, the 14 identified states accounted for 1,27,379.
In India total 1.32 lakh road deaths were recorded in 2020 despite lockdown announced to curb spreading of Covid-19.
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