‘Circle officials responsible for loudspeakers, volume’
LUCKNOW : Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has warned that police officials of the circle concerned, the deputy collector and other officials will be held accountable if loudspeakers unnecessarily crop up on religious premises or complaints about their being played loudly are received.
Holding a video conference on road safety here on Wednesday he said that UP had sent out a positive message by ensuring peace during recent festivals including Ram Navmi and Eid and the state also set an example by removing loudspeakers or restricting their volume to the permissible level through dialogue.
“This situation must continue in the future and if complaints about the return of loudspeakers or their playing loudly are received, then officials of the circle/sub-division concerned will be held responsible,” he said.
He said that the loudspeakers, which people had voluntarily removed in many districts, should be made available to the nearest schools for use and asked officials to help in this task.
Expressing concern at the large number of deaths in road accidents every year due to lack of alertness, he said human life was precious and all efforts should be made to save lives of people by promoting road safety in the best possible manner.
Remove encroachments from roads
Laying emphasis on the need for ending encroachment on roads, the CM directed officials to identify a place for footpath traders and ensure that no trader puts up shop except the place earmarked. Other shops too, he said, should remain within their defined geographical limits.
The CM said a permanent solution to the problem of operation of unauthorised taxi stands needed to be found, failing which, he warned, accountability would be fixed. He directed officials to dismantle illegal tempo and bus stands in the next 48 hours and redefine proper places for stands ensuring that mafia, criminals and touts remained at a distance from new stands.
Ban road stunts
The CM further said roads and overbridges were no places for anyone to perform stunts and directed officials to curb this kind of anarchic behaviour. He said road safety clubs should be set up in schools and colleges and rules with regard to helmet and seat-belt wearing be enforced strictly.
He also directed officials to ensure that schools held meetings with parents in the next two days to impress upon the need for children to obey traffic rules from the beginning. He said principals and teachers should be trained about traffic rules so that they could train students in turn.
Stop queues of trucks on highways
The CM said a large number of road accidents were reported from expressways and national highways for different reasons. He asked officials to chalk out a plan to stop trucks from plying in queues on highways. He said over-speeding was another major cause of accidents on highways and asked officials to take adequate measures in this regard including removing engineering defects on roads. He said ambulance response time needed to be lowered.
Stop unauthorised operation of buses
The CM directed the transport department to stop illegal operations of buses from other states in UP. Often overloaded and ramshackle, these buses not only endangered the safety of all on the roads but also ate into the government’s revenue, he observed.
He said public convenience should also be kept in mind while making speed-breakers on roads.
The CM said various departments needed to act in tandem to promote road safety in the state.
The CM said the action to seize and bulldoze properties of mafia elements would continue but cautioned officials against harassing the poor and helpless.