He was the chief minister at the time and held the transport portfolio, officials said.
Representation pic
Placatory noises are made about road safety by different authorities but despite Maharashtra witnessing 36,567 fatalities and 83,820 road accidents between January 2023 and April 2025, a top road safety council headed by the state transport minister had not met even once in two years, reported the Press Trust of India.
Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said he was not even aware of the existence of the State Road Safety Council. The last meeting of the State Road Safety Council was held on April 4, 2023, under Eknath Shinde, the current deputy chief minister. He was the chief minister at the time and held the transport portfolio, officials said.
The Maharashtra government constituted the council in May 2015, and biannual meetings, which are mandatory, were held regularly till 2019, following which only four meetings took place till 2023, they pointed out.
From 2015, there should have been 20 meetings of the State Road Safety Council as per the rules, but only 12 have taken place, a senior official said on condition of anonymity.
We need this comatose council to wake up and start meeting as experts claim it is a crucial platform for the eradication of black spots, assessing enforcement gaps, and coordination between various departments.
Mumbai’s road transport network has so many challenges, and any and all initiatives to enhance safety have to be put into action. This paper itself has highlighted black spots when it comes to traffic, and so many accident-prone areas. We have rules but need enforcement.
There are different departments who may pass the buck when it comes to accountability or even enforcement, so a body that is instrumental in coordination is much needed. We need to set this machinery, rusty from disuse, cranked up and running again. Road safety needs multi-pronged outreach and holistic efforts. Get the meetings leading to action, re-started.
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