Safety begins at home: Mamata Banerjee tightens road safety after nephew's accident

KOLKATA: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Tuesday that her government will take up a number of measures to step up road safety. "A committee is being formed to execute the new measures to enforce road safety. New laws with respect to rash driving and related matters will be tabled in the state Assembly soon," Mamata told reporters at the state administrative headquarters of Nabanna during the day.

Chief minister held a meeting at Nabanna during the day with senior transport department and police officials to discuss measures to stwp up road safety.

Interestingly, the chief minister's efforts to ensure road safety comes after her nephew and Trinamool Congress MP Abhisekh met with an accident near Singur on October 18. Abhisekh had to undergo a surgical operation at a Kolkata hospital and had been released from there recently. Doctors attending on him, have asked the MP to take rest for two weeks.

" A new law will be framed by the police and another by transport department for road safety," the chief minister announced. She said that like green corridors, clean corridors will also be formed for emergency situations. Regional Transport Offices will also be modernised.

Mamata cautioned that driving license of offenders may be cancelled if traffic rules were violated more than three times. The Government will install CCTVs and watch towers at blind spots for road safety, she said.

Drinking and driving, using mobile phones while driving would not be allowed, she warned.

She also pointed out that at many places construction materials were kept on the road, which would not be allowed further. She added that more parkomats will be set up so that cars were not parked on roads unnecessarily.