Road Safety March Organised by Savitri Devi Charitable Trust
Balasore, Jan 15 (Krushna Kumar Mohanty): A road safety awareness march was organised from Trisulia Square to Godisahi CISF area in Cuttack by Savitri Devi Charitable Trust, Bhubaneswar, in collaboration with Purvasha Tarini Maa Social and Economic Development Organisation and Citizens Human Rights Clinic, Odisha.
Volunteers of these organisations carried placards highlighting road safety norms and appealed to vehicle users to strictly follow traffic rules. They cautioned drivers against drunk driving, not wearing seat belts while driving, and using mobile phones during driving, stating that such practices often lead to fatal accidents. The participants urged motorists to refrain from these habits to ensure their own safety and that of others.
The programme was inaugurated at Trisulia Bus Stand by Gopabandhu Mallik, former Additional Director General of Police and Chairman of CHRC. He explained traffic laws and safe driving practices to the general public. Eminent novelist Professor Rashmi Raul, another key speaker, pointed out that poor road conditions, unscientifically built speed breakers without white markings, and lack of blinking warning lights were also major causes of road accidents. She stressed that proper maintenance of roads by the government would significantly reduce accidents.
At the conclusion of the programme, under the leadership of Banshree Mohapatra, Secretary of Purvasha Tarini Maa Organisation, and Shankar Khatua, a large number of members including Deepika Mohanty, Madhusmita Choudhury, Kamini Raut, Sulagna Sucharita, Indurani Parida, Sanchala Nayak, Ajay Kumar De, Satrujit Mohapatra, Damodar Baral, Rakesh Kumar Maharana, Sudhakar Nayak, Bikash Sahu, Manas Ranjan Dash (President, CHRC Narasinghpur Branch) and Prakash Das (Secretary) participated in a five-kilometre march from Trisulia to Godisahi. They distributed awareness messages and advised the public to follow traffic laws.
Noting the large number of potholes on the road stretch from Trisulia Square to Banki, CHRC, Savitri Devi Charitable Trust and Purvasha Tarini Maa Organisation jointly decided to submit a memorandum to the State Government, demanding proper maintenance and repair of the road.
