Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government has unveiled a series of key interventions aimed at curbing road accidents and saving lives, with a central proposal to establish special cells in all urban and rural civic bodies. These cells will function as nodal agencies for implementing various road safety measures.
Dedicated Cells for Road Safety
Municipal corporations, municipalities, and other local self-government bodies currently have cells for different projects, but lack dedicated units for road safety. The proposed cells will oversee a range of interventions, including the 'Good Samaritans' scheme and the PM Rahat Scheme, which provides treatment to accident victims. A source noted, “These proposed cells will act as nodal agencies to oversee a range of road safety measures.”
Rising Accident Numbers
Official data reveals a 3.6% rise in road fatalities and a 12.4% increase in grievous injuries over the past three years ending 2025. While a state-level road safety authority and district-level committees already exist, the government has now decided to extend the network to urban and rural bodies.
Additional Interventions Planned
Beyond creating dedicated cells, the government plans to deploy nodal officers from the Roads and Buildings (R&B), police, and health departments to improve inter-department coordination. Other measures include developing e-enforcement infrastructure on high-risk corridors, rectifying blackspots, initiating joint patrolling by police and transport departments, and deploying R&B highway patrol teams.
These steps aim to strengthen the state's road safety framework and reduce the toll of accidents. The initiative underscores the government's commitment to leveraging local bodies for effective implementation of safety schemes.
