Guwahati: Reiterating concerns over the persistent occurrence of road accidents in Assam, chief secretary Ravi Kota has outlined priority measures to improve road safety, focusing on enforcement, infrastructure upgrades and emergency response systems.The directions followed a state-level road safety review meeting in which officials assessed accident rates across all 35 districts for the first quarter of 2026. Official data showed the state recorded 4,219 road accidents and 1,008 fatalities between January and March, compared to 4,232 accidents and 1,035 fatalities in the same period last year.“The fatalities declined by only 2.6% year-on-year despite no increase in crash volume, meaning that roughly 11 lives are lost on Assam’s roads everyday- indicating that crash severity remains high,” the chief secretary said.Pedestrian safety was flagged as a key concern, with the chief secretary noting that one in five fatalities involves pedestrians. The transport department has been asked to study best practices from other states and expedite rules aimed at improving pedestrian safety.“We are looking for improvement in footpaths, pedestrian signals and more, so that the casualties can be reduced,” an official from the district administration said.On road engineering and signage, the chief secretary said road safety funds have been disbursed for each district, with local NGOs tagged for signage installation. Agencies including the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), Public Work Departments (PWD) (National Highway) and National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) were directed to take suo-moto measures in accident-prone areas, prioritising road widening, junction improvements and black spot rectification.On enforcement, police were tasked with stricter monitoring of helmet use, drunk driving through breath analyser tests, over-speeding and illegal parking.The chief secretary also stressed expanding trauma care infrastructure under the PM RAHAT scheme, which provides cashless treatment of up to Rs 1.5 lakh for accident victims. District health authorities were directed to strengthen trauma centres and First Referral Units (FRUs), and ensure adequate manpower and equipment.“Road safety is a shared, whole-of-govt responsibility, as every life lost results in the devastation of an entire family,” he added.
