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Mumbai, Nov 10 (IANS) Amid rising deaths in road accidents, the Maharashtra government on Monday directed all municipal corporations, including Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, to allocate at least one per cent of their annual budget for road safety, traffic discipline and public awareness initiatives, in line with the Supreme Court’s directions on pedestrian safety.
The State Urban Development Department has issued a government resolution in this regard.
The government proposal follows Supreme Court orders in a PIL filed by S Rajasekharan regarding pedestrian safety.
The order said each civic body will have to open a separate budgetary item for the purpose and use the funds exclusively for measures related to road and pedestrian safety.
The government proposal outlines in detail 14 specific instructions for all urban local bodies.
Among the key measures is the provision of installation of tactile flooring at major public transport hubs including bus stands, metro and railway stations to ensure better accessibility for visually impaired people.
The civic body needs to coordinate with the traffic department to improve pedestrian access and provide “seamless entry, waiting areas and touch routes”.
Municipal corporations have also been directed to conduct comprehensive footpath audit every six months through registered auditing agencies, giving priority to busy areas like markets, schools, colleges, transport terminals and tourist places.
The government proposal states that the audit report along with a time-bound plan for repairs should be submitted to the Urban Development Department.
The state government has asked all municipal bodies to remove encroachments from footpaths and pedestrian corridors, maintain proper lighting, cleanliness and CCTV surveillance on pedestrian bridges and subways and ensure that zebra crossings comply with the guidelines of the Indian Road Congress and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
Each municipal corporation will also set up a dedicated ‘Accessibility and Pedestrian Cell’ to monitor planning, implementation, maintenance and grievance redressal.
The government proposal states that accident-prone areas should be identified in coordination with the police and security personnel should be deployed where necessary.
The state government has directed civic bodies to ensure that at least 20 per cent of the city’s roads are surveyed annually to assess the need for new pedestrian crossings, while non-motorised transport – such as cycling and walking – should be promoted through appropriate regulations under the Motor Vehicles Act.
All municipal corporations have been asked to set up an online complaint portal with mandatory resolution within 15 days for complaints related to encroachment, damaged footpaths or pedestrian facilities.
The state government has warned the civic bodies to strictly comply with the government proposal to ensure that there is no violation of the Supreme Court directions.
–IANS
SJ/KHz