MPS URGED TO SPEND ON ROAD SAFETY
With the formation of the new government, citizens are demanding that the MPs extend money from the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) to road safety issues as well.
The scheme empowers MPs to spend `5 crore for local purposes. Its present agenda covers the installation of CCTV cameras and providing ambulance services but few MPs make any allocattions for road safety. Citizens therefore have started a change.org petition demanding to use a share of the fund to create safe school zones, pedestrian-friendly roads, and to eradicate black spot areas.
In general, the scheme emphasises on the creation of durable community assets based on locally observed needs in the areas of roads, electricity, drinking water, health, and education among others.
Road safety experts insist that the utilisation of funds should be extended to ‘road safety’ as well and not be restricted to ‘roads’. Some aspects of road safety that are being stressed by the experts include eradicating the black spots in their respective constituencies, establishing safe school zones with low budget road infrastructural improvements, establishing post-crash care guidance and counseling centers in each district headquarter to assist crash victims and their bereaved families in securing compensation, justice, and rehabilitation, and to facilitate pedestrian crossing and slow down measures.
Mr Vinod Kanumala from Indian Road Safety Federation said, “There is a need for the government to undertake the establishment of post-crash care centers by building a minimum of one rehabilitation center per district. These centres should have an orthopaedic, a physiotherapist, and surgeons with expertise in the treatment of crash victims.”
MPLADS, started 1994, is a scheme funded fully by Centre. Lok Sabha members can recommend works within their constituencies, and the elected members of Rajya Sabha can recommend works within the state of their election (with some exceptions). Nominated members of both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha can recommend works anywhere in the country.