Transport Minister highlights road safety efforts amid 11,000 licence suspensions

Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Saturday indicated that the suspension of driving licences remained a key enforcement tool under the State’s road safety enforcement methods, with 11,000 licences suspended last year.

Mr. Prabhakar was speaking at the inauguration of a Children’s Traffic Awareness Park at Government Model School, Aaliya, one of Hyderabad’s oldest educational institutions, as part of the National Road Safety Month. The ₹14‑lakh facility, developed in collaboration with UNICEF, is designed as an experiential learning space for students.

At the event, officials demonstrated road safety norms by means of simulations featuring traffic signals, zebra crossings, junctions, dividers and school‑zone crossings.

Transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar inaugurating HMRL’s multilevel parking at Nampally in Hyderabad on Saturday.
| Photo Credit:
SIDDHANT THAKUR

Mr. Prabhakar said the Sadak Suraksha Abhiyan campaign is aimed to reach 10 lakh people this year. Activities focused on the four pillars of education, enforcement, engineering and emergency response. Accident‑prone black spots were identified and rectified.

Awareness programmes were held in 183 schools, encompassing 25,000 students. The campaign also included 50 helmet rallies, 10 walkathons, 10 rangoli competitions, 50 quiz contests, 50 essay competitions, 100 road safety demonstrations and 100 health camps.

Calling road safety a social responsibility which should be shared by all, Mr. Prabhakar laid emphasis on adherence to traffic rules which in turn save lives and urged vehicle users to follow regulations. He said efforts were under way to promote awareness at home by encouraging students to take pledges from their parents on following traffic rules. Selected students would be trained to disseminate road‐safety information among peers.

Transport Commissioner K. Ilambarthi noted that 7,000 people die in road accidents every year, averaging 20 deaths a day. Most victims are young people and two‑wheeler riders, he said, adding that the department is intensifying awareness on enforcement, engineering and education.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Joel Davis said the suffering of families who lose earning members to road accidents is immeasurable. He pointed out that many parents still do not wear helmets while travelling with their children.

In a separate development, Mr. Prabhakar inaugurated a multi-storey parking facility equipped with advanced technology constructed under the PPP at the Nampally crossroads.

The move, he said, was to ameliorate the parking problems in the city. Of a total of 15 floors, 10 floors will be for parking, and the rest will be used for commercial purposes. An area has also been set up on the top floor to enjoy the city view. Considering the increasing traffic in Hyderabad, this facility has been set up to put an end to parking difficulties. This parking facility has been designed to accommodate 200 cars and 200 two-wheelers.