Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Lok Sabha MP from Sangrur, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, raised the issue of road accident deaths across the country in the Lok Sabha and expressed deep concern over it. Meet Hayer questioned Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on the matter.
Hayer also appreciated Gadkari's swift work in constructing national highways. Hayer said that due to high-speed traffic on highways, the number of deaths in road accidents is continuously increasing, which is a matter of public concern.
He emphasized that every life is extremely precious and urged the central government to pay special attention to this issue. He highlighted that nearly 1.75 lakh people die in various road accidents in India every year.
Over the past ten years, about 15 lakh people have lost their lives in road accidents, and even now, nearly 400 deaths occur daily due to this. Meet Hayer informed the Parliament about the Punjab government's special initiative, the Road Safety Force, and mentioned that after its formation, there has been a 47% reduction in road accident deaths in Punjab.
He said other states should also take similar measures, or the central government should formulate a policy on this. Responding to Hayer’s questions, Union Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari praised the Punjab government's Road Safety Force and thanked them for saving lives.
Gadkari pointed out that road transportation falls under the concurrent list of the Constitution, so any state can enact laws on this matter as per their needs. He added that some states have already taken certain steps, yielding positive results.
Gadkari expressed concern over Uttar Pradesh recording the highest number of road accident deaths in the country and mentioned that he had recently raised this issue with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during a meeting and urged him to pay special attention to it.