Bhubaneswar, Oct 15 (PTI) Former Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan has urged Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to take measures to curb road accidents caused by the illegal and hazardous parking of commercial and heavy vehicles along national and state highways in the state’s mining and industrial belts.
In a letter to Majhi, the Sambalpur MP said road accidents were increasing due to trucks being parked illegally in long queues stretching for kilometres along highways in mining and industrial corridors.
Such accidents were frequently reported on national and state highways, he said, adding that the lack of a proper logistics chain by mining companies and the absence of designated parking facilities posed a serious threat to road safety.
Pradhan pointed out that the state government had clear constitutional mandates and adequate legal authority to address the issue.
Highlighting the existing legal provisions and rules to curb illegal parking on highways, the MP sought the chief minister’s intervention to ensure public safety and fix accountability.
He also suggested that district-level road safety task forces be made operational to conduct periodic reviews and that mining operators be required to construct holding yards away from highways, equipped with basic amenities.
“The value of human life outweighs any industrial or administrative inconvenience,” Pradhan said.
He expressed hope that swift and punitive legal action against violators would ensure that highways in Odisha remained corridors of progress rather than becoming corridors of danger. PTI BBM BBM MNB
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.