Jamshedpur: In a decisive move to strengthen road safety enforcement, the district administration suspended 312 driving licenses during the month of May for violations of road safety rules. Alongside this, fines totaling approximately Rs 22 lakh were collected during a month-long vehicle checking campaign. Major violations included riding two-wheelers without helmets and driving four-wheelers without seat belts.
According to the District Transport Office, 3346 new driving licenses were issued in May, out of which 2842 were issued to men and 504 to women, reflecting growing awareness about formal driving authorization.
To further enhance road safety and ensure compliance with traffic regulations, a comprehensive review meeting was held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner Karn Satyarthi at the Collectorate Auditorium. The meeting saw the participation of key officials including Senior Superintendent of Police Piyush Pandey, ADM Law and Order Aniket Sachan, City SP Kumar Shivashish, SDM Dhalbhum Shatabdi Majumdar, SDM Ghatshila Sunil Chandra, and other department heads.
Also present were DTO Dhananjay, Deputy Municipal Commissioner JNAC Krishna Kumar, Executive Engineer (Road Construction) Deepak Sahay, District Public Relations Officer Panchanan Oraon, DSP Bhola Prasad, DSP Traffic, along with representatives from Tata Steel, Jusco, and Bus Associations.
During the meeting, the Deputy Commissioner issued clear directives on the implementation of safety infrastructure such as sliding barriers, rumble strips, blinkers, and signage at accident-prone areas. The Executive Engineer of NHAI and Road Construction Department was instructed to conduct sequential reviews of all accident sites and initiate necessary safety upgrades. Special emphasis was placed on installing mirrors near blind curves and enforcing speed reduction mechanisms at critical junctions.
A critical issue raised was the delay in providing compensation in hit-and-run cases. The Deputy Commissioner directed the District Transport Officer and Road Safety Team to ensure that compensation to the affected families in 27 pending cases be processed within 90 days. He stressed that families of victims should not be burdened with delays in acquiring essential documents like post-mortem reports or death certificates, and called for inter-departmental coordination to streamline the process.
To reinforce responsible behavior among fuel providers, strict instructions were given not to supply petrol to two-wheeler riders without helmets. The meeting also emphasized promoting the role of Good Samaritans who help transport accident victims to hospitals during the critical golden hour. As per government policy, such individuals are eligible for an incentive of up to Rs 5000 and are shielded from legal complications. Officials were instructed to widely disseminate this information to the general public.
A detailed review of recent accidents revealed that illegal roadside parking, wrong-side driving, and overspeeding were the primary causes. In May alone, 29 road accidents were reported in the district, resulting in 24 fatalities and 12 serious injuries.
New DL issue process should be more strict. The way new vehicles are being driven (both 2W & 4W) clearly show that the drivers are not well trained.