Bhubaneswar, 12 January (H.S.): Expressing serious concern over a spate of fatal road accidents caused by sand and debris on highways and city roads, the Odisha Transport Commissioner has issued a strong advisory to key road-owning and maintenance agencies, holding them accountable for keeping road surfaces safe.

In official letters sent to the Regional Officer of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the Chief Engineer of National Highways (Odisha), the Chief Engineer of the Works Department, and officials of all Municipal Corporations and Notified Area Councils (NACs), the Commissioner emphasised that ensuring clean and hazard-free roads is their statutory responsibility.

The Commissioner warned that any presence of sand, soil, construction debris or loose material on road surfaces must be removed immediately by the concerned agency. He underlined that such spillage significantly reduces tyre grip, leading to skidding and serious accidents, particularly involving two-wheelers.

“It has been observed with grave concern that spillage of sand, soil, construction debris and loose materials on road surfaces, if not promptly removed, leads to loss of tyre grip and skidding, particularly for two-wheelers, resulting in serious and fatal road accidents. In the recent past, multiple severe accidents have been reported across the State where road surface contamination due to non-removal of spillage sand was a contributory factor,” the communication stated.

While enforcement agencies continue to act against unsafe transportation of sand and construction materials, the Commissioner stressed that accident prevention also depends heavily on the statutory duty of road-owning and road-maintaining authorities.

“Ensuring that roads under their jurisdiction are clean, traffic-worthy and free from hazards at all times is a non-negotiable responsibility of the concerned agencies,” the letter added.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda