Tamil Nadu   

Drivers' fault major reason for mishaps: Baalu

Staff Reporter

Motor Vehicle Inspector's Office inaugurated at Tambaram

TAMBARAM : Despite huge investments to improve roads, accidents continued to take a large number of lives mainly because of the fault of vehicle drivers, Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways T. R. Baalu, said on Monday.

With specific reference to Tamil Nadu, he said the State enjoyed a higher percentage of four-lane National Highways compared to the rest of the country. Of the 4,508 km of National Highways in Tamil Nadu, about 3,200 km had four-lane set-up — a pointer to the investments and efforts to improve road conditions in the State, he said. Though there was a slight decrease in the number of accidents and people killed, a lot had to be done to bring down the accident rate.

Mr. Baalu was speaking after inaugurating a Motor Vehicle Inspector's Office and also after flagging off 10 new services of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation.

Drivers' fault

Compared to 2001 when 9,571 people were killed, in 2004, 9,507 people died in accidents in Tamil Nadu. A study revealed that the most important reason for the high rate of accidents was fault of drivers, followed by other causes, including bad roads, natural calamities and mechanical problems.

He said indiscipline, particularly among drivers of heavy vehicles, was an important reason for accidents and also traffic snarls. Pointing out that 1.43 lakh drivers were provided training during the X Five-Year Plan, Mr. Baalu said the Centre would be only too glad to extend and increase facilities to train drivers in Tamil Nadu.

There are plans to modernise Regional Transport Offices in Tamil Nadu, the Minister said. As part of modernisation plans, he said the State Transport Department should select at least one Regional Transport Office to implement computerisation, issue smart cards to drivers and start providing high security number plates to vehicles. Providing smart cards and high security number plates would help to a large extent in lessening accidents, misuse of vehicles and also automobile theft, Mr. Stating that with the increasing vehicle population, the State Government had decided to start branch offices of RTOs. As part of this, the first branch office was opened in Tambaram and plans were on to open similar ones in Poonamallee, Manapparai and Pattukottai. Labour Welfare Minister T. M. Anbarasan said the RTO at Alandur had to handle 3.7 lakh vehicles and with the opening of the MV Inspector Office in Tambaram, the burden would be lessened by half.

C. P. Singh, Special Commissioner and Transport Commissioner, Kancheepuram Collector Pradeep Yadav, Tambaram MLA S. R. Raja and E. Mani, E. Karunanidhi and R. S. Bharathi, Municipal Chairmen of Tambaram, Pallavaram and Alandur also spoke.

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