Dehradun – In a significant initiative aimed at promoting road safety awareness among the public, the Transport Department organized a District Road Safety Awareness Program at the Doon Library, Parade Ground, on Thursday. The event was chaired by Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Bansal, with prominent dignitaries including MLAs Khajan Das and Savita Kapoor, Human Rights Commission member Ram Singh Meena, Assistant Transport Commissioner Shailesh Tiwari, and RTO Sandeep Saini in attendance.
The program recognized and honored citizens who have made commendable contributions toward road safety.
Vijayshree Joshi received the Good Samaritan (Nek Rahveer) Award, which included a symbolic token, citation, and a cash prize of ₹5000.
Ashu Kushwaha was felicitated with the Road Safety Aware Citizen Award.
Umeshwar Singh Rawat was awarded the Road Safety Friend Award.
Addressing the gathering, MP Naresh Bansal highlighted the concerning rise in road accidents despite infrastructural improvements and increased travel speed. He emphasized the urgent need for public adherence to traffic rules and suggested the installation of information boards at schools, colleges, municipal offices, and other public places. He also advocated for strict enforcement against overloading, overspeeding, and drunk driving.
The MLAs and other guests echoed these sentiments, noting that the majority of road accidents are a result of human error. They underlined the importance of public awareness and personal responsibility in enhancing road safety.
Dr. Anita Chamola, RTO (Enforcement), introduced the audience to the ‘4E Model’ of road safety—Engineering, Education, Enforcement and Emergency Care Services. She emphasized that while good roads and vehicles are vital, equal attention must be given to traffic education, strict rule enforcement, and efficient emergency medical services. She also explained the application process for the Good Samaritan Award at the transport office.
Following the event, a vibrant road safety awareness rally was organized, featuring two-wheelers, e-autos, e-bikes, “magic” vehicles, driving school vehicles and pollution testing vans. The rally started from Ghantaghar and passed through Kanak Chowk, Astley Hall, Darshan Lal Chowk and Buddha Chowk, before concluding at Parade Ground.
The event saw enthusiastic participation from CO Traffic Jagdish Chandra Pant, ARTO Chakrapani Mishra, Pankaj Srivastava, Transport Tax Officer Anil Negi, and other officials including Pragya Panth, Anuradha Panth, Shweta Rauthan, Shashi Dubey, and Daulat Pandey. A large number of departmental officers and citizens also took part in the program.
