Bhubaneswar: Road accidents claimed at least 1,025 lives and left 1,594 people injured in Odisha between January 1 and March 6 this year, the State Assembly was informed on Thursday.
Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena, in a written reply to a question from BJD MLA Ananta Narayan Jena, said a total of 1,616 road accidents were reported across the state during the 65-day period.
An analysis of the data indicates that over 15 people died every day on average in road accidents in the state during the period, while about 24 persons were injured daily.
According to the minister, national highways accounted for a significant share of the accidents. A total of 447 accidents occurred on NHs, resulting in 270 deaths and 469 injuries.
Similarly, 246 accidents were reported on state highways, claiming 150 lives and injuring 259 people. On expressways, 13 accidents were recorded during the period, in which 11 people died and 10 others were injured.
The highest number of accidents occurred on other roads across the state, where 910 accidents led to 594 deaths and 856 injuries, the minister said.
The minister also shared a day-wise breakdown of fatalities, revealing that Sundays recorded the highest number of deaths at 276, followed by Thursday (264) and Saturday (255). Fatalities on other days included Monday (242), Friday (236), Wednesday (232), and Tuesday (209).
The data highlights the continuing challenge of road safety in Odisha, with a high number of fatalities occurring within a short span of time.
