Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government will observe a special “Zero Fatality Fortnight” from 16 to 30 November 2025 in a determined effort to bring road accident deaths down to zero during this 15-day period.
Building on the encouraging outcomes of the annual Zero Fatality Week, the state has extended the intensified campaign to a full fortnight this year.
The drive will be led by the Commerce and Transport Department and will combine large-scale public awareness activities, strict enforcement measures, engineering interventions and strengthened emergency medical response.
A high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja was held at Lok Seva Bhawan this afternoon to finalise the action plan. Senior officials, including Principal Secretary Housing and Urban Development Usha Padhee, DG Crime Branch Vinaytosh Mishra, Transport Commissioner Amitabh Thakur, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissioner S. Dev Datta Singh and several principal secretaries and district collectors, attended the review.
The meeting underscored the urgent need for action, with officials highlighting that 1.19 million people died in road accidents worldwide in 2023, while India recorded 1.72 lakh deaths and Odisha 5,739 deaths—figures that translate to more than 3,200 deaths globally, 474 in India and nearly 16 in Odisha each day. The Supreme Court’s repeated directives to all states to adopt continuous and effective measures formed an important backdrop to the discussions.
The meeting noted that most fatal accidents arise from overspeeding, helmetless riding, drunken driving, violation of traffic rules, wrong-side driving and general road indiscipline.
With this in view, the forthcoming fortnight will lay strong emphasis on engineering improvements, consistent enforcement, extensive education and swift emergency care. Intensive checking will be carried out across the state against overspeeding, drunken driving, triple riding and non-use of helmets and seat belts, with fines issued through e-challans and the Intelligent Traffic Management System. Joint patrolling by police and transport officials on national and state highways will be stepped up. District authorities have been instructed to convene road safety committee meetings regularly and closely monitor accident-prone areas, particularly around schools, colleges and hospitals. Of the 8,000 km of roads already audited, 300 black spots have been identified and rectification proposals sent to the respective road-owning departments.
A massive awareness campaign will run concurrently under the banner of “Road Safety Platforms” in every district. More than one lakh students will take a road safety pledge virtually in the presence of the Chief Minister. Street plays, school-level programmes by Junior Red Cross volunteers, initiatives by self-help groups, campaigns in cinema halls, and extensive use of print, electronic and social media have been planned.
The government also discussed ways to tackle accidents caused by stray cattle, including establishing more gaushalas, affixing reflective tapes on cattle horns and publicising the animal helpline 1962 more widely.
Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja called the goal of reducing road accident deaths to absolute zero a matter of top priority. He stressed that the effort must continue not only during the fortnight but throughout the year, particularly during the December–March tourist and picnic season when traffic volume rises sharply. He urged all departments to work in close coordination and appealed to citizens, civil society organisations and voluntary groups to extend full cooperation so that precious lives can be saved and Odisha’s roads made truly safe.
