House passes Gujarat Road Safety Authority Bill

The state assembly on Monday passed the Gujarat Road Safety Authority Bill, paving the way for the formation of a Road Safety Authority for implementation of road safety programmes in the state and to act as the lead agency for road safety.

As the state assembly was not in session at the time, the state government had promulgated the Road Safety Authority Ordinance in October 2017 to form the Authority in line with Supreme Court guidelines for road safety. The bill replaces the ordinance.

Tabling the bill in the assembly, transport minister RC Faldu said that the government is targeting 50% reduction in road accidents by the year 2020. “More than 4.80 lakh accidents take place in India every year, which claim 1.50 lakh lives. In Gujarat, the number of accidents declined from 21,859 in 2016, to 19,081 in 2017 due to growing awareness. The Bill will bring this further down,” he said. The Road Safety Authority would ensure implementation of directions on road safety, notify annual targets for the reduction of accidents and fatalities, collect and analyse data on road accidents, prescribe and enforce road safety standards, to coordinate work relating to road safety with concerned departments and NGOs, and oversee implementation of laws, among others.

The Bill has provision for a fine of up to Rs1 lakh for refusal or failure to comply with the Authority’s orders. Taking part in the discussion, Congress MLA from Jamalpur-Khadia seat Imran Khedawala proposed changes in the penalty amount.

The leader of opposition, Paresh Dhanani, said that the bill focused more on collecting penalty, and less on road safety.