Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi today launched the state’s first ever ‘Zero Accident Day’ campaign, urging every citizen to strictly adhere to traffic rules and remain alert from the moment they step out of their homes until they return.
Speaking at the inaugural event held at the Lokseva Bhawan Convention Centre, the Chief Minister highlighted the far-reaching consequences of road accidents, calling them not merely personal tragedies but losses that ripple across families, communities, and the economy at large.
The initiative, launched in collaboration with IIT Madras, will run until June 28, with the goal of promoting a culture of safety on Odisha’s roads.
CM Majhi pointed out that over 75 percent of road fatalities in India are caused by speeding. He emphasized that drivers often ignore the life-saving principle: “Speed thrills, but it also kills.” He also flagged other common causes of accidents, including driving under the influence, wrong-side driving, and mobile phone distractions.
In a sweeping announcement of projects aimed at modernizing Odisha’s road safety and public transport infrastructure, the Chief Minister unveiled initiatives collectively worth ₹575.77 crore.
Among these were 11 newly launched Automated Driving Testing Systems (ADTS) across districts such as Sonepur, Chandikhol, and Balangir, set up with an investment of ₹24 crore. These centers are expected to bring greater transparency and automation to the driving license issuance process.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated the second phase of the Driving Electronic Enforcement to Save Human Lives (DISHA) project, built at a cost of ₹215 crore and covering 485 kilometers of state and national highways. The project will use automated systems to issue e-challans to traffic violators. He laid the foundation for its third phase, which will expand the enforcement network across 1,007 kilometers.
Further bolstering vehicle safety measures, the state’s first Automated Vehicle Testing Centre was launched in Cuttack. CM Majhi also laid the foundation stone for 20 more such centers with a combined expenditure of ₹211 crore. These centers will enable standardized and technology-driven vehicle fitness checks.
Enhancing intercity travel and tourism connectivity, the Chief Minister flagged off 15 super-premium Volvo buses under the Shri Jagannath Express initiative. These luxury buses will connect Puri to Ayodhya, Tirupati, Ujjain, and other key pilgrimage and metro destinations, with an investment of ₹27.3 crore. The launch of this new fleet aims to provide safer, more comfortable long-distance transport options for passengers from Odisha.
The state also saw the inauguration of new Atal Bus Stands in Basudevpur and Dhamra in Bhadrak district and Basta in Balasore, while the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation’s Integrated Transport Management System (ITMS) and Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) were also formally launched. Additionally, the Chief Minister inaugurated Odisha’s second Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility in Jajpur, as part of efforts to phase out unfit vehicles.
In a virtual interaction, Manswini Sahu, a citizen who successfully passed the ADTS in Jajpur, Meena Kumari Behera, a passenger traveling from Malatipatpur to Tirupati, and Sanjay Mallick from the Chandbali Nautical Training Institute thanked the Chief Minister for these citizen-centric transport reforms.
Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena praised the Chief Minister’s consistent focus on road safety, stating that a modern transportation system must be both efficient and secure. He said that the day’s initiatives would help lay the foundation for a safer Odisha. The event also featured messages from campaign ambassadors, Digapahandi MLA and actor Siddhant Mahapatra and internationally acclaimed sand artist Padma Shri Sudarshan Pattnaik, both of whom called for greater awareness of road safety norms.
In a moving gesture, the Chief Minister felicitated five individuals — Abinash Panigrahi, Bishwaranjan Padhi, Panchanan Das, Srinivas Behera, and Sabita Rani Parida — for their timely assistance in saving the lives of road accident victims. The program concluded with the administration of a road safety pledge, reinforcing the collective responsibility of all road users.
Commerce and Transport Department Principal Secretary Usha Padhi delivered the welcome address, and Transport Commissioner Amitabh Thakur proposed the vote of thanks, marking the formal conclusion of what officials called a historic day for Odisha’s transportation sector.
