Road accident deaths, child marriage on rise in state
CHANDIGARH: Road accident-related deaths are on the rise in Haryana. A total of 3,800 road casualties were reported in 8,446 accidents between April 1 and December 31, 2016.
The rate of accident-related deaths in the first three quarters of the current financial year is higher than 2015-16 in which 4,880 persons were killed in 11,188 road mishaps in the state. The number of casualties were 4,600 in 10,512 road accidents in 2014-15, according to information given by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar in a written statement tabled in the House during the Question Hour in response to an unstarred question.
Congress MLA, Jagbir Singh Malik, and INLD MLA, Parminder Singh Dhull, had asked about the number of road accidents and the casualties.
As per the information, Ambala, Rewari, Panchkula, Karnal, Sonepat, Hisar and Bhiwani districts have seen an increase in the number of fatalities in the past nine months. In Hisar, 204 persons were killed in 470 accidents between April and December 2016 as against 244 accident-related deaths in the entire previous financial year. Similarly, Bhiwani and Panchkula districts have also seen a jump in the number of fatalities in road accidents.
CHILD MARRIAGE COMPLAINTS UP
Complaints of child marriage have seen an increase of 15% in Haryana in the current year. While 315 complaints were received in 2015-16, the number has already jumped to 362 till now this fiscal. In 2014-15, the authorities had received 246 such complaints, as per the information submitted by women and child development minister Kavita Jain in a written reply to an unstarred question.
Congress MLA Karan Singh Dalal had submitted the question on child marriages in the state and sought information on the number of marriages of minors that have taken place in the state since 2014.
As per the information made available by the minister, 230 child marriages have been prevented through counselling in the 2016-17 so far, as against 182 in the entire previous year. Furthermore, 65 complaints were found to be false after inquiry.
CONSULTANT ENGAGED FOR DEVELOPMENT PLAN OF KMP AREA
The Haryana government has engaged an international consultant to carry out a study for preparing a draft development plan for controlled area along the Eastern Periphery Expressway and Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway in the state. Industries and commerce minister, Vipul Goyal, said this in reply to a question raised by Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA, Tek Chand Sharma. He had asked about the steps being taken to develop the controlled area along the two expressways.