‘Seat belts, helmets can check 70% deaths’

LUCKNOW : Expressing concern over the growing number of people dying in road mishaps, chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday said 70 per cent of the deaths could be avoided by using helmets and seat belts.

“Awareness about the importance of wearing seat belts and helmets can play a significant role in ensuring road safety,” he said asking the transport department, police and roadmaking agencies to work in tandem to create public awareness about the issue.

The CM was speaking at a function held here to sign an inter-state bus operation agreement between UP and Uttarakhand.

Adityanath and Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat witnessed the exchange of the agreement documents between UP transport minister, Swatantra Dev Singh and his hill state counterpart, Yashpal Arya.

He also flagged off 51 Kumbh shuttle buses and inaugurated the new CM camp office and a renovated new Janata Darbar hall with a conference hall on the occasion.

Speaking further Adityanath said the inter-state agreement will make transportation between the two states easier, allowing commuters to use a safe and affordable mode of public transport to visit religious and tourist places.

Accusing previous governments of keeping various issues between UP and Uttarakhand unresolved due to petty party politics, the CM said his government had settled most of the issues and the remaining ones would also be resolved soon

He also lauded the UPSRTC saying that it was one of the few transport corporations to make net profit in the country.

After the final agreement, Uttar Pradesh buses, according to principal secretary, transport, Aradhana Shukla, will cover a distance of 1,39,071 km everyday on 216 routes in Uttarakhand while the hill state buses will ply 2,52,592 km on 335 routes in UP every day.

She further said that worldclass Volvo and Scania buses will also ply between the two states.