A decade since it was constituted, there is widespread demand to convert the State Road Safety Authority (RSA) into a potent body capable of ushering in road safety measures across Kerala.
Speaking to The Hindu on the need to give some teeth to the RSA, former Kerala High Court judge Chandrasekhara Das, who headed a commission entrusted with zeroing in on accident-prone corridors on national and State highways and to suggest remedies, said the State government had done little to avert accidents, though he had submitted a detailed micro-level report in October 2015 to the State government.
“Over Rs.200-crore worth funds meant to be utilised by the RSA are lying idle, though accidents are spiralling and over 4,130 people were killed in 2015 in road accidents in this small State. Funds collected as cess from fuel sale and newly-registered vehicles are idling. It is imperative that the body be given autonomy in decision making and implementation so that the RSA is answerable only to the State government,” Justice Das said. “The RSA must be independent of the Transport Department since the department’s focus is on vehicle registration and permits. Though a meeting chaired by the Transport Minister is mandatory every six months, seldom is it convened,” he added.
Black spots
In his report, Justice Das had mentioned over 350 ‘black spots’ on national and State highways that were prone to accidents. “Little has been done to mitigate accidents in these areas. Straightening curves, redesigning roads and junctions, installing reflectors, lights and signals will go a long way in reducing accidents.”
Citing the need for a dedicated road safety force comprising around 3,000 personnel, Justice Das said traffic policemen were untrained in road safety. He referred to overhead cables dangling dangerously on most city roads and shabby upkeep of roads as an apt example of the lack of accountability of RSA stakeholders.
