UP Cracks Down On Road Accidents: CM Yogi Orders Driver Fitness Tests, Stricter Rules

Calling road safety the state's biggest challenge, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has made a major announcement. Now, all bus drivers of the Uttar Pradesh Transport Department will have to undergo mandatory health and fitness checks every three months, with a special focus on eye examinations. Speaking at a Transport Department event on Saturday, he bluntly stated that no one would be allowed to risk passengers' lives through negligence.

A Multi-Pronged Strategy For Road Safety

The Chief Minister emphasized adopting a comprehensive strategy to curb road accidents. He said that rules regarding helmets, seat belts, drunk driving, and speeding will be made stricter and widely publicized through the media. He also directed officials to launch a large-scale public awareness campaign with the help of technical institutes like IIT Kharagpur, in collaboration with the police and other departments, and to include traffic rules in the school curriculum. "Laws might seem harsh, but they are what guarantee the safety of citizens," Yogi said.

Buses To Every Village, A Target Of 3 Lakh Jobs

CM Yogi said that if the Transport and Urban Development departments work together to provide better connectivity to every village, it will not only reduce pollution but also create about 3 lakh job opportunities.

On this occasion, Transport Minister Dayashankar Singh announced that the goal is to connect all of the state's remaining 12,000+ villages with bus service within the next six months, and that electric buses will reach every village in the future. He claimed that the corporation now has no bus older than five and a half years.

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Use Of Technology And A Better Work Culture

It was shared at the event that an app developed by the police has helped identify accident-prone areas (blackspots), leading to a sharp decline in accidents, dropping from 18 to just 3 per month in some locations. The Chief Minister also spoke about promoting the scrapping of old vehicles and strengthening driving training institutes. Additionally, he gave a strict warning to the Transport Department officials to work as a team and to "end the work culture of delaying files."

The event was attended by several officials, including Mayor Sushma Kharkwal, Principal Secretary Amit Gupta, and Transport Commissioner Brajesh Narayan Singh.

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