The Hindu : Four accident relief centres to be set up in Tiruchi dt.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 08, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi

Four accident relief centres to be set up in Tiruchi dt.

TIRUCHI JAN.7. The Government has proposed to set up emergency accident relief centres on the highways at four accident-prone spots in the district, with the assistance of private hospitals, to ensure immediate medical relief.

Speaking at the Road Safety Week celebrations organised by the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation at Mannarpuram here today, the Collector, K. Manivasan said the centres would be established at every 50 km to prevent any loss of time in providing timely treatment to the injured in mishaps. Personnel trained in providing first aid along with ambulance would be present at these centres round-the-clock.

These centres would come up at Vaiyampatti on the Dindigul road, Kovilpatti on the Madurai road, Samayapuram Toll Gate on the Chennai highway and at Thuvakudi on the Thanjavur road in the next couple of months. While two centres would be sponsored by the ABC Hospital, Kavery Medical Centre has come forward to sponsor the other two.

Dr. Manivasan flayed the use of two-wheelers by young school students and exhorted the parents to make alternative arrangements for safe departure and return of their wards from educational institutions.

Referring to the importance of giving first aid in saving precious lives, the Collector said Red Cross volunteers were conducting special programmes for imparting training in first aid to school and college students at regular intervals in different parts of the district.

The City Police Commissioner (in-charge), Sunil Kumar Singh, said with the presence of very good roads and high-speed vehicles in the State, the traffic safety has assumed greater significance of late. A total of 131 persons lost their lives in fatal accidents in the district last year when compared to 132 deaths in the previous year. A total of 728 non-fatal accidents were reported last year compared to 693 in 2002.

Referring to the steps taken to check the ever-increasing accident rate, Mr. Singh said so far traffic investigation wing police used to visit the accident site to conduct investigations but hereafter those in the traffic regulation wing and those attached to the law and order also would analyse the reasons for the mishaps, take up follow-up action and other precautionary measures.

A total of 80 vehicles had been pressed into service throughout the State to patrol the highways to check the accident rate. All such efforts would bear fruits only if the road users extend cooperation by realising the seriousness of the fatal accidents, he added.

The Managing Director of the TNSTC, N. Alagarsamy, said there was considerable reduction in the mishaps involving the STC buses due to the steps taken to check the speed of the buses.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police (crime and traffic), R. Arumugam, spoke.

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