Acting on reports of several road accidents at Peddakunta Tanda village in Telangana's Mahabubnagar district located on NH 44, NHAI has decided to take a number of steps, including provide ramps to access pedestrian under-pass, for villagers to cross the highway.
"Responding with extreme sensitivity to news reports that in village Peddakunta Tanda, Kothur Mandal, Mahabubnagar District, Telangana, several families have suffered tragedies because of road accidents, NHAI shall be undertaking ... actions," Road Transport and Highways Ministry said in a statement.
Further, the steps are to close median opening at 41.99 km, which is the main cause of accidents and providing illumination for underpass besides imposing restrictions and providing road markings to slow down the traffic, it said.
The statement said a senior safety expert has been entrusted the task of visiting the site to review the position and suggest any further measures required besides deputation of a local NGO to counsel villagers on appropriate road user behaviour.
Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari yesterday floated an idea that a simple click of the mouse or a snap on Whatsapp about an accident or the site itself can help the government machinery swing into action and thus, save lives.
Launching a Facebook page to generate awareness, Gadkari made a strong case for using the Internet technology to alert authorities about accidents, regardless of such mishap spots.
India accounts for for the highest number of 5 lakh road accidents in a year, in which 1.5 lakh lose their lives and another 3 lakh are maimed for life.
"It pains me to see the huge number of accidents as such magnitude of casualties neither happens in a war or extremist killings," the Minister has pointed out.
