Team to study Shiradi Ghat road

Team to study Shiradi Ghat road

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, May 6: The authorities have decided to initiate measures to reduce the number of accidents involving oil tankers on the Shiradi Ghat section of national highway 48.

A team of officials will identify ways to improve safety at the accident-prone spots on the Uppinangady-Shirady stretch of the highway, organise eye check-up camps, and ensure two drivers in each vehicle in a bid to reduce the number of accidents.

 

At a meeting presided over by Superintendent of Police Labhu Ram and attended by the Regional Transport Officer, Puttur, and representatives of oil companies here on Wednesday, measures to bring down the number of accidents involving tankers of oil companies were discussed in detail.

 

 

Mr. Ram said that a team comprising the police, RTO, representatives of the National Highways Authorities of India (NHAI) and the Safety Officer of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (who is in-charge of safety for all oil companies in Mangalore) would visit the stretch in the next few days.

The team would visit the accident-prone spots on that particular stretch of the highway and decide on the ways to prevent accidents. For instance, the team would decide whether constructing road shoulders or medians, or placing signboards at certain spots would help tanker drivers. The NHAI authorities would determine whether there was any fault in the design of the road, Mr. Ram said.

Officials of HPCL said that they would organise eye check-up camps for tanker drivers twice a year to check for night-blindness and colour blindness along with eyesight. A short video clipping would also be prepared by the companies to raise awareness about the dangers of the road and what drivers could do avoid accidents, Mr. Ram said. Mr. Ram said that the companies had agreed to ensure that each tanker had two drivers as per the Motor Vehicles Act.

Thehindu