Pune: The district administration has set Oct 10 as the deadline to eliminate 43 black spots through necessary road-safety measures, moving the exercise into the implementation phase after agencies were earlier directed to inspect accident-prone locations and submit their findings, senior officials told TOI on Saturday.The administration has also ordered agencies to make all roads in the district pothole-free by Aug 31. District collector Jitendra Dudi chaired a meeting of the District Road Safety Committee on Friday. He directed concerned officials to complete improvements of accident-prone junctions within six months and remove encroachments along national and major highways within 15 days.The meeting, held at the collectorate, was attended by police department and PWD officials. The officials reviewed accident-prone locations, road safety, traffic regulation, junction improvements, potholes, highway-side encroachments and road-safety awareness measures.The latest directions follow an order issued in June, when various agencies were asked to conduct joint inspections of black spots and submit reports with immediate and long-term remedial measures by June 29. The latest meeting reviewed the findings of those inspections, with 43 black spots identified for corrective action.“All agencies have to complete the required measures at all 43 locations by Oct 10 and submit their reports,” he directed the officials in the meeting. He said officials should not restrict themselves to temporary measures but identify the causes of accidents at each location and implement permanent solutions.Officials have been asked to examine road design, curves, junctions, lighting, directional and warning signs and road markings at the black spots and undertake the required engineering improvements. Speed breakers should be installed strictly according to prescribed technical standards, Dudi said. In the meeting, he said the administration has also directed agencies to install CCTV cameras, speed-monitoring equipment and adequate lighting wherever required.Officials said it was decided that accident-prone locations should be geographically mapped and technology-enabled methods must be used to provide motorists with advance warnings, he said. The administration has also given encroachers, along national and major highways, 15 days to remove the structures voluntarily. If they fail to do so, the concerned highway agencies have been directed to remove the encroachments immediately with police assistance.Dudi directed agencies and contractors undertaking road works to ensure that motorists would not be exposed to additional risks at construction sites. Contractors and responsible agencies would face action if prescribed safety standards, such as directional signs, warning boards and other prescribed safety measures, are not followed and strictly maintained, he said.The issue of prompt medical treatment to road accident victims was also discussed in the meeting. The concerned agencies were directed to coordinate their response so that injured persons receive treatment without delay.
