Bahraich district magistrate launches crackdown on traffic violations and road safety

The District Magistrate of Bahraich has issued comprehensive directives to ensure strict implementation of road safety measures across the district, ordering the immediate removal of traffic-obstructing hoardings and transformers, ensuring pothole-free roads, and mandating effective action against violators of helmet, seat belt, drunk driving, and wrong-side driving regulations, while also launching an extensive public awareness campaign in schools.

District Magistrate Rajesh Kumar Pandey and Superintendent of Police Vishwajeet Srivastava convened a special meeting of the District Road Safety Committee and School Vehicle Committee at the Collectorate auditorium to provide necessary directives to concerned officials for ensuring the safety of school children, facilitating smooth traffic management, and preventing road accidents across the district.

The District Magistrate directed the Executive Officer to immediately remove obstructive hoardings that are creating hindrances in the city's traffic management system. He instructed that the City Magistrate, City Circle Officer, and concerned officials should jointly reach the sites for inspection and take effective action to remove encroachments wherever traffic is being affected due to illegal occupation of public spaces.

The District Magistrate emphasized that no vehicle should be allowed to operate without proper fitness certification. He ordered that helpline numbers and mobile numbers must be clearly marked on all school buses. He mandated that time-bound meetings should be organized in all schools to review safety compliance.

Strict instructions were issued that every bus must have either a female or male attendant in addition to the driver, and no school bus should be permitted to operate without an attendant. Keeping in view the safety of children, the District Magistrate directed that if drivers and attendants are from outside the school, they should be employed only after immediate police verification. Special attention must be paid to ensure that no driver or conductor consumes alcohol, and surprise checks should be conducted from time to time to enforce this regulation.

The District Magistrate placed special emphasis on organizing health examination camps near toll plazas where mandatory testing of all vehicle drivers for sugar levels, blood pressure, and eye examinations should be conducted.

He issued directions to concerned officials that if potholes appear anywhere on national highways, town roads, or rural area roads during the rainy season, immediate action should be taken to fill them without delay. The concerned departments must maintain continuous monitoring to ensure that common people do not face difficulties or accidents due to poor road conditions. He made it clear that negligence at any level in this work will not be tolerated.

The District Magistrate instructed the District Schools Inspector and District Basic Education Officer to launch an extensive public awareness campaign about traffic rules through students. He directed that awareness programs should be organized in schools along with rallies to make students and the general public conscious about road safety, so that compliance with traffic rules can take the form of a people's movement.

The District Magistrate stated that effective action should be taken as per rules against those driving without helmets, without seat belts, driving vehicles under the influence of alcohol, and driving on the wrong side of the road. He emphasized that road safety is not merely the responsibility of government departments but the collective responsibility of every vehicle driver and citizen. Reduction in road accidents can be achieved only by following traffic regulations.

Present on this occasion were City Magistrate Rajesh Prasad, Additional District Magistrates (Public Works Department) Pradeep Kumar and Amar Singh, Assistant Regional Transport Officer Sushil Kumar, Executive Officer of the Municipal Corporation Pramita Singh, police administration officials, and other concerned personnel.

The meeting underscored the administration's commitment to creating a comprehensive framework for road safety that encompasses infrastructure improvements, strict enforcement of traffic regulations, vehicle fitness standards, and community participation through educational institutions. The directives cover multiple aspects of traffic management, from physical infrastructure like hoarding removal and road maintenance to human factors such as driver health checks and attendant verification, reflecting a holistic approach to addressing road safety challenges in Bahraich district.