The Hindu Business Line : Road Safety Authority to be set up soon: Antony

The Chief Minister said this while formally handing over the road accident management system software envisaged as part of the World Bank-aided Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP) to the Kerala Police. The Director-General of Police, Mr Hormese Tharakan, received the software at a function held here on Tuesday.

The software, a GIS-enabled road accident management system (Geographical Kerala Accident Management System, or GeoKAMS), was developed by Technopark-based IBS Software Services.

According to the Chief Minister, a Bill pertaining to the setting up of the Road Safety Authority is under the consideration of the State Government. He hoped that the Bill would be tabled in the next Assembly session.

Setting up of the authority has great relevance in the context of the alarming rise in the number and frequency of accidents in the State.

Road safety is one of the key components of the KSTP. The State Police and the Public Works Department will jointly look after the deployment of GeoKAMS as part of the Road Safety Engineering Initiatives under KSTP. The software has many advanced features applicable to conditions prevailing in developing countries.

The Minister for Public Works, Dr M.K. Muneer, who presided over the meeting, said that Kerala reported the second highest number of road accidents in the country. Therefore, road safety has become the top most priority in the State Government's agenda. Deployment of scientifically validated correctives would go a long way in drastically reducing scope for accidents on public roads.

Among those who attended the function were Mr Stein Lundebye, Senior Transport Engineer from World Bank and member of the World Bank Task Force; Dr Malechi Khayesi, a transport and road safety expert from the World Health Organisation (WHO); Mr Babu Jacob, Additional Chief Secretary, Kerala; Ms Lida Jacob, Secretary, PWD; and Mr K. P. Somarajan, Transport Commissioner.

A workshop on road safety also was organised as part of the programme.