Odisha signs MoU with NGO to improve road safety

The Odisha government on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a non-governmental organisation on Thursday to improve road safety in the state, according to an official statement.

The MoU with the SaveLIFE Foundation (SLF) which focuses on improving road safety and emergency medical care aims to reduce accidental deaths on roads significantly in the next three years.

The SLF will identify 100 accident-prone spots and recommend measures to bring down the number of mishaps in those areas, the statement said.

“Once the remedial measures are suggested and implemented, we hope that fatalities will be reduced by around 30-50 per cent,” Transport Commissioner Arun Bothra said.

The agreement was signed by SLF founder Piyush Tewari and State Transport Authority joint commissioner of road safety, Sanjay Biswal.

SLF will also analyse the policy framework on road safety in the state and recommend changes or modifications to ensure its effective implementation, the statement added.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 4738 people were killed in 9817 road accidents in Odisha in 2020.