IN THE INTEREST OF ALL: City Mayor Tadi Sakuntala having a word with Transport Minister Kanna Lakshminarayana at the launch of Road Safety Week celebrations in Vijayawada on Monday. VGTM-UDA chairman Malladi Vishnu and District Collector Navin Mittal also seen.

VIJAYAWADA: Transport Minister Kanna Lakshminarayana on Monday said that the Government was considering making helmet and seat belt mandatory in tune with the recent ruling of the High Court. A ban on the use of mobile phones while driving was also under consideration, he revealed.

He was inaugurating the State-level `Road Safety Week' programme at the Auto Technicians Association Hall at Autonagar here.

Mr. Lakshminarayana, while referring to the court's orders on traffic management, said that those travelling in the front seats of four-wheelers would have to wear seat belts without fail. He referred to an accident in which his son was involved while driving a two-wheeler. "Had my son used a helmet, the injuries would have been much simpler. My son is still to recover completely even after three months. It is from my personal experience that I say everyone should use helmet," the Minister said.

11,000 fatalities

He unveiled safety week's themes - `30 seconds at red lights or 3 months in hospital' and `Obey lights at crossings to reach home safely'. It was part of a nation-wide drive aimed at raising safety awareness among transport workers, students and general public.

Transport Commissioner Rajeswar Tiwari said that 11,000 persons died in road accidents this year and 35,000 lost their limbs while many more families were affected financially. In view of this, the Government organised a road safety drive under the name SAFAR (Safety Always For All Roads) from October 2 to 31 last year. The present drive was launched at the instance of the Union Government.

City Mayor Tadi Sakuntala said that the use of mobile phones had increased manifold so much so that many people were seen driving motorcycles and cars while talking on the cell phone. This was posing a serious problem to traffic. Besides, young people were resorting to rash driving causing accidents, the Mayor said.

Krishna District Collector Navin Mittal presided over the meeting, while Vijayawada West MLA Nasar Vali, Vijayawada-Guntur-Tenali-Mangalagiri Urban Development Authority (VGTM-UDA) chairman Malladi Vishnu and APSRTC zonal chairman Jogi Ramesh spoke.

Deputy Transport Commissioner M. Ratna Manikyam, ACP (traffic) Prabhakara Babu, representatives of Krishna District Lorry Owners Association and technicians were present.

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