Bhubaneswar: To create road safety awareness among the citizens, the Commerce and Transport Department of Odisha has declared the first week of January 2024 i.e. from 1st January to 7th January, as the Road Safety Week. The theme of this year’s Road Safety Week is “Sadak Surakhya – Parivar Rakhya”.
Commerce and Transport Minister Tukuni Sahu inaugurated the event at the Exhibition area, KIIT Convention Centre, Bhubaneswar followed by a walkathon to the Driving Testing Track, Chandrashekharpur, Bhubaneswar.
Principal Secretary, Commerce & Transport Department, Usha Padhee; Transport Commissioner Amitabh Thakur; Additional Commissioner Transport (Road Safety), Lalmohan Sethi; Joint Commissioner Transport (Road Safety) Pradeep Kumar Mohanty along with other senior officials, students and general public were present during the inauguration ceremony.
In the welcome address, the Transport Commissioner started by wishing everyone a happy and safe new year and then emphasized the importance of road safety in our daily lives.
He highlighted that the role of student in spreading road safety awareness among peers and family is very impactful.
Usha Padhee added that the Transport Department has made its mission to sensitize all citizens about the importance of road safety. It is the responsibility of all the road users to follow the traffic rules which will ultimately ensure a safer road for everyone.
Minister Tukuni Sahu stressed that road safety is not just limited to the safety of the individual, but it is connected to the safety of their family as well as other road users. It extends beyond mere duty and should be a shared responsibility among all road users.
During the Walkathon, a Road Safety Van was flagged off which will move throughout the district showcasing road safety short films to spread awareness on various road safety themes.
A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for picnic places was also unveiled during the event which details the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders like bus owners and bus drivers going for picnic / pilgrimages, RTOs, Police, etc.
At the end, a vote of thanks was given by Lalmohan Sethi, ACT (Road Safety).
