The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to overhaul its road safety framework, weeks after Ground Report did a detailed story on how potholes and poor roads killed hundreds across the state last year. The state is setting up a new administrative system that will take direct responsibility for road safety and accident prevention.
At the center of this plan is a Lead Road Safety Agency, which will coordinate all departments involved in road management, transport, police, health, public works, and urban local bodies. Heading this agency will be a Road Safety Commissioner, an Additional Secretary-level IAS officer, who will oversee planning, monitoring, and enforcement.
This move follows the Supreme Court’s Committee on Road Safety directive that every state establish a dedicated agency to curb road fatalities. The new agency’s main goal is to bring down the rising number of accidents in Madhya Pradesh and fix coordination failures that have long delayed action on road safety.
The agency will focus on identifying black spots, stretches of roads where frequent accidents occur, enforcing helmet and seat belt rules, and curbing drunk driving. It will also run awareness drives to promote safer road behavior among drivers and pedestrians. Around 20 officers and staff will be appointed to the agency, with the Transport Department serving as the nodal body. The proposal has been drafted and will soon be sent to the Cabinet for approval.
One of the agency’s top priorities will be to ensure faster medical help within the “golden hour” after an accident, a crucial time when timely response can save lives. The agency also plans to strengthen monitoring of traffic violations and prevent accidents caused by stray animals on highways and urban roads.
The move comes soon after Ground Report published report. The story revealed alarming figures from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways showing that poor infrastructure and administrative negligence were directly linked to hundreds of deaths. The report sparked public debate and drew attention to gaps in coordination among state departments.
Environmental activist Nitin Saxena, who has long raised concerns about the state’s road safety management, said the government’s decision “shows that the problem has finally been taken seriously after repeated warnings and reports.”
The timing of the government’s move suggests that the exposé played a role in pushing for change. The creation of a Road Safety Commissioner and a unified agency signals a long-awaited step toward accountability.
Still, the key question remains: will this administrative reform lead to real change on the ground? Can the new agency bring better coordination among departments that have often worked in isolation? Will black spots be fixed and medical aid reach victims in time?
The coming months will reveal whether Madhya Pradesh’s new road safety system marks a genuine shift, or remains another reform confined to paper.
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