Inaugural flight from Shimla arrives in Amritsar city

Alliance Air inaugurated a direct flight from Shimla airport in Himachal Pradesh to Shri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport on Thursday. The airline started operating flights from November 16 with the first flight of ATR 42-seater aircraft arriving from Shimla yesterday in the morning.

The flight would be operated thrice a week, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. On Thursday, the flight took off from Shimla at 8.45 am and reached Amritsar at 9.45 am. On its return journey from Amritsar, the departure was at 10.10 am with the flight reaching Shimla at 11.10 am. The Shimla airport is located at Jubbarhatti, 22 km from the main city. There were only six passengers in the first flight that arrived from Shimla. On the return flight, there were 18 passengers on board for Shimla. The airline is offering 50 per cent discount on the ticket for the first month.

Airline officials informed that now onward, the flight will take off from Shimla at 8.10 am and reach Amritsar at 9.10 am. From Amritsar, it will take off at 9.35 am and reach Shimla at 10.35 am.

Taradevi Railway Station - 1910

Taradevi Railway Station - 1910

Transport Minister seeks air ambulances for hill states

Transport Minister GS Bali has urged the Centre to provide the air ambulance facilities for evacuation of accident victims in hilly areas so that medical aid could be provided in time.

Addressing a meeting of Group of Ministers held in New Delhi today, he said there was a need to upgrade the technology of road engineering and structuring should be designed with specific references to hill areas.

To address the issue of public transportation, the Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Ministry has constituted this group to address the issue of public transportation in hill areas and Bali is the chairman of this group.

Discussing various issues pertaining to the public transportation system and challenges prevailing in hill states, he stressed that there was a need to create awareness among the masses regarding the road safety measures.

He said focus should be given on to educate schoolchildren and NGOs and civil society groups could also play a pivotal role in this campaign. He also urged the Union Government to provide sufficient funds to make this campaign more relevant.

Bali also stressed that there was a need to strengthen road transport undertakings of hill states and the ministry should provide funds on a priority basis so that cases of accidents due to poor maintenance of vehicles could be avoided.

There was also a need to provide common platform to issue permit, particularly for Assam, Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya to facilitate the transporters and tourists as well, he added.

Source:The Tribune

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Transport Minister inaugurates ATM

Transport Minister Mr G. S. Bali said that inaugurated the ICICI Bank ATM at Old Bus Stand at Shimla, today.

He said that for the convenience of the passengers ATMs would be setup at various 18 bus stands, out of which 14 ATMs have been set up while the remaining four would be set up within a week and would be functional as well. He appreciated the efforts of the ICICI bank for setting up the ATM. He urged the Bank to set up the remaining ATMs within a week.

Shimla to Katra Volvo bus service to start soon: G. S. Bali

He said Shimla to Katra Volvo bus service would be started as soon as permission was granted by the concerned states. He said that the Volvo service would not only facilitate the pilgrims visiting the Mata Vaishnu temple but was also beneficial from tourism point of view. He said that the Volvo service on Nalagarh- Baddi- Delhi road would start from next week.

78 Luxury buses providing free Wi-Fi facility

Mr Bali said that 78 volvo and AC buses have been provided with Wi-Fi services with a view to provide added facility to passengers. Through this system the passengers could watch films and listen to music. He said that collection of 10-15 movies and 200 songs was available through the system.

Transport Minister said that free Wi-Fi facility would be provided for first 30 minutes in 18 major bus stands of the State and as for now the facility was provided in 15 bus stands.

Managing Director Transport Mr Priyatu Mandal, General Manager Mr Raghuvir Singh Chaudhary, Representatives of ICICI bank and other senior officers were also present on the occasion.

G.S Bali stresses for effective road transport policy

Transport Minister G.S. Bali has stressed on formulating an effective policy by the Government of India in coordination with the State Governments to making road transport system so as to meet out the requirements of the rising concerns of the transport sector as per the aspirations of the commuters besides minimizing the risks of road accidents.

Bali was addressing during the meetings of National Road Safety Council and Transport Development Council organized today at New Delhi under the chairmanship of Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari. The meeting was attended by the Transport Ministers, Transport Secretaries, Transport Commissioners and senior police officers of all the States.

Bali thanked the Union Transport Minister for approving a highway project for the State on NH-22 amounting to Rs. 887 crore. He said the national highways were the base of economic growth of the country and urged that the hilly and backward states should be given added priority in infrastructural development.

He requested the Union Minister to consider the tough topography and weather conditions of the hilly states like Himachal Pradesh while finalizing and approving the road projects as due to adverse conditions the cost of construction, maintenance and expansion of the roads was much higher in such states as compared to other areas.

Expressing his concern over the rising road accidents and pollution, G.S. Bali suggested for mutual efforts to tackle these problems.

He appreciated the efforts of the Union Government for giving special emphasis on road safety in the proposed Road Transport and Safety Bill adding that the provisions in the Bill would go a long way in saving valuable human lives. He also suggested for launching special awareness campaign regarding the road safety Rules throughout the country.

State to purchase 316 new buses: G.S.Bali

Transport Minister G.S. Bali said that expansion of the transport fleet would be done to ensure the convenient and comfortable travelling of the commuters. He said that the State Government was making continuous efforts for the safe journey of the passengers. He said that Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) would soon purchase 300 new buses in addition to 16 modern luxury buses for which process had been initiated.

Transport Minister was presiding over a meeting of Bus Purchasing Committee of HRTC here today.

He said that the performance of the volvo luxury buses by HRTC was satisfactory. He said that these buses are comfortable and safe thereby demand of these buses was increasing day by day. He said that 16 new luxury would be plied between capitals of other States  and important religious places, which would encourage tourism  in the State.  He said that the fleet of volvo buses would be increased to 50.

Bali said that 300 new buses would be purchased of 30,37 and 40 seats and the small seated buses would be plied in the far flung and difficult terrain regions of the state. He said that the buses purchased under JNNURM would ensure comfortable and safe travel in the cities. He instructed the authorities to ensure comfortable seats and thickness of the frame  should be of 7 minimum.

Transport Minister instructed the members of the committee that the buses bought in wet lease should be provided with the HRTC drivers. He said that the safety of the passengers is the priority of the State Government which should be ensured at all cost.

Managing Director, HRTC Ashok Tiwari, Executive Director R. K. Gautam, General Manager H. K. Gupta and other senior officers along with Non official Members  were also present at the meeting.

Special trains on Kalka-Shimla railway line to meet tourist rush

Two holiday special trains started on Friday on Kalka-Shimla rail line to meet the tourist rush, an official said.
“The additional trains will run to and fro daily on the Kalka-Shimla line. These trains would cater to the tourist rush ahead of Christmas and New Year’s eve,” a railway official told IANS.
One of the trains is 14-seater rail that starts from Kalka town at 6.40 am and arrives in Shimla at 11.40 am, the official said.
It will start return journey at 2.00 pm from Shimla and reach Kalka at 6.20 pm.
Likewise, a five-coach holiday special train starts journey from Kalka at 7.00 am and arrives in Shimla at 12.10 pm. The train will start return journey at 3.50 pm and reach Kalka at 9.10 pm.
Five trains run to and from on Kalka-Shimla rail line. Normally a train takes five hours to complete the journey.
The Kalka-Shimla rail track was built by the British in 1903 to ferry Europeans to and from this hill town, the erstwhile summer capital of British India.
It was chosen by Unesco as a world heritage site in 2008.

Transporters move SC against NGT order

Manali transporters today filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).  The NGT has imposed a high environmental compensation charges on the vehicles going to the Rohtang Pass and also restricted the number to 1,000 per day, including 600 petrol and 400 diesel vehicles. A petrol vehicle owner has to pay the environmental compensation charge of Rs 1,000 and diesel vehicle Rs 2,500 and all commercial vehicles with a seating capacity of more than six to pay Rs 5,000. All commercial vehicles in the tourist town remained off the road to protest the charges. Him-Aanchal Taxi Operators Union, Manali, president Puran Chand said all transport unions, including auto, taxi and luxury bus, had decided to suspend their services indefinitely to protest the high charges and restricting the number of vehicles to 1,000 per day. A taxi operator said the high charges would ruin their business as tourists would hardly hire their taxis now. Members of various associations plying commercial vehicles in and around Manali and operators of the Him-Aanchal Taxi Operators Union, Manali, today met Town and Country Planning Minister Sudhir Sharma during his visit to the town. They said the government should protect their livelihood. The minister assured the members that the government would again take up the matter with the NGT.   The NGT, in its recent orders on May 5, had limited the number of vehicles to go to the Rohtang region besides imposing high charges, which had become the major cause for resentment among the commercial vehicle operators of Manali, who alleged that the move would have an adverse impact on their livelihood and the tourism in the entire valley.

HRTC buses go off the road

Around 2,200 buses of the HRTC remained off road due to the strike, affecting people and schoolchildren.

The All-India Transport Bandh was called by various trade unions to protest against the provisions of the Bill. “Buses from other states did not enter Himachal,” said Shankar Singh, convener of the joint action committee of the HRTC workers union.

Major transport unions affiliated to the All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) have supported the strike.

RN Batta, Managing Director of the HRTC, said there was no movement of the HRTC buses in and outside the state.

However, around 2,800 private buses and taxis were on road, reducing the inconvenience of people.

“The provisions of the Bill will cripple the state Road Transport Corporations as high penalty, including heavy fine and imprisonment for minor traffic violations or accidental deaths, are unjustified and unacceptable,” said a union leader.

Bali inaugurates online e-payment of taxes of commercial vehicles

Transport Minister Mr G.S. Bali today inaugurated online e-payment of commercial vehicles of Himachal Pradesh from Shimla.

 

Mr Bali on the occasion said that until today these taxes were used to be paid by the vehicles owners by coming personally in the office of RTO’s and R&LAs. With the launch of this service the vehicle owners can now make e-payment of their commercial vehicles (24x7) by logging in http://himachal.nic.in/transport.

 

He said the vehicle owners now can make payment at any time from anywhere through internet banking and Debit Card Services. For availing this facility, all the offices of RTOs and R&LAs have been connected by Transport Department through National Informatics Centre VPNOBB for safe transaction. The information relating to vehicle registration and driving license is available on respective State and National Register respectively. The same can be varied online.

 

Mr Ajay Mittal, Additional Chief Secretary, Transport, Dr. R.N. Batta, Commissioner, Transport, Mr Ajay Chahal, State Informatic Officer, NIC and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.

Himachal Pradesh to buy 500 electric buses

In a bid to save the environment from reducing carbon emission, the state transport department has decided to introduce electric buses in Himachal Pradesh and 500 electric buses would be brought in the first phase.

Heavy pollution caused by vehicles, especially in tourist places like Manali and Rohtang Pass, has left the National Green Tribunal (NGT) fuming. To save the Himalayas from carbon emission, NGT has already directed the state government to restrict the number of vehicles to Rohtang Pass and to introduce CNG buses.

This is for the first time that the transport department has taken the revolutionary decision of introducing electric buses to ensure zero carbon emission. Considering the tough geographical location of the state, these electric buses would be first introduced in lower areas of state.


Confirming the development, Himachal Pradesh transport minister G S Bali said that electric buses are being introduced with the sole purpose of saving the environment. He said that funding for these environment-friendly buses would be sought from the Union government.

"Carbon emission by petrol and diesel vehicles has posed a serious threat to the glaciers and fragile Himalayan ecology. Introduction of electric buses would help in saving the environment," said the minister.

He said that a consultant has already been appointed and a detailed project report is being prepared. He said that the Union government has already made provision for electric buses in its budget. "As these buses would operated on battery and motor, they would be environment friendly. This is the first time that a hill state has turned towards electric buses for public mode of transportation," he added.

Bali said that in the beginning these buses would be introduced in the plains areas like Una district and later, based on their success, they would be introduced in other suitable areas. He said that feasibility of their operation in the state would be checked. "We have decided to introduce 500 electric buses in the pilot project," he added.

Electric bus fleet in service during the 2008 Olympics.
Photo source:Wikipedia

Source:TNN

Himachal to be included under Nirbhay Scheme

Transport Minister G.S. Bali called on Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari at New Delhi last evening and discussed various issues pertaining to road transport, highways and shipping in the State.

Bali urged the Union Minister to include Himachal Pradesh in the purview of Nirbhay Scheme and Union Minister agreed for reduction of norms under the Scheme to include the State and to undertake more specific projects under the road safety initiatives. He said that crash barriers, road signages,bus lay by-lanes should be made mandatory in all road projects. He also urged to consider funding, snow cutters, cranes and trauma centres under road safety besides providing financial assistance for setting up inspection and certification centres, drivers’ training schools and fixing VTS on all public transport vehicles.

Transport Minister requested the Union Minister for construction and upgradation of Nagrota town by-pass road in district Kangra. He also urged for constructing railway over bridge on Samloti-Sarotri road, Railway over bridge on NH-154 and Nagrota-Masal road on NH-154 and sanctioning multi-facility way side amenities for National Highway Kiratpur-Nerchowk four laning road near Bhaged.

He said that there were  four water bodies  in the State namely Govind Sagar  in Bilaspur district, Pong Dam in Kangra district, Chamera Lake in Chamba district and Pandoh Lake  in Mandi district  He urged the Minister to direct Inland Water Authorities to provide water transport facilities in these water bodies.

Transport Minister said that Government of India has agreed in principle to provide financial assistance for setting up crash barriers and other facilities on the National Highways in the State.  He said that  Nitin Gadkari committed to provide more funding for Himachal Pradesh and providing atleast one drivers’ training school and inspection and certification centre in each assembly segment of State. He said that he further agreed that Government of India will fund a dry port for Himachal Pradesh on any location suggested by the State Government and developing air landing facility on important water bodies in the State.  He said that Union Minister also agreed to provide funds for constructing way side amenities on important national highways for tourism point of view.

He said that on the request of State Government, Union Minister also agreed in principle to construct bridges at various points on National Highways in Nagrota Bagwan and Ghumarwin constituencies. He said that Union Government would also consider funding of ropeways from Kalka to Shimla and some locations in Kangra District to facilitate pollution free speedy movement between these places to boost tourism in Himachal Pradesh.

Chief Parliamentary Secretary Rajesh Dharmani, MLA Ajay Mahajan, Commissioner, Transport Dr. R.N. Batta and other senior officers of the State Government were also present on the occasion.

G.S.Bali demands 323 more buses for the State

Transport Minister G.S.Bali called on Union Minister of Urban Development M. Venkaiah Naidu at New Delhi and submitted new proposals for consideration of the State  transport under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM).

Bali apprised the Union Minister that the State Government had submitted a proposal of 1123 buses under JnNURM whereas only 800 buses have been sanctioned by the ministry. He requested him to sanction the remaining 323 buses for the State at the earliest. He said that 165 buses 0f 12 meter length had been sanctioned to the State and said that in view of the tough terrain of the State the plying of buses with 12 meter length was not viable. He requested the Union Minister to provide only   100 buses of 12 meter length and remaining 65 buses may be replaced with 100 mini buses.

Bali also emphasized that with the introduction of JnNURM fleet and the existing deployment of buses in public and private sector, passenger transportation system for providing efficient services to the public requires comprehensive route planning exercise based on sophisticated route planning software, akin to the one used by the Civil Aviation authorities for deployment and regulation of air-crafts. This will provide State-of-the-Art passenger information system to the travelling public to facilitate convenient departures. It will entail an expenditure of Rs. 10.00 crore.

Union Minister of Urban Development appreciated the concerns raised by Bali and expressed his willingness, in principle, to take this further for sanction after the same are examined by the ministry. He also assured that he will soon fix a meeting to consider these proposals in which officers from the ministry and the State Government would participate.

High powered meet on exploring alternative transport system in H.P.

A high powered Meet was held at New Delhi under the Chairmanship of Shri Sudhir Sharma, Urban Development Minister at New Delhi today to explore the feasibility to develop alternate transport system in Himachal Pradesh. The main objective of this Meet was to reduce traffic congestion in main hill stations like Shimla and Dharamshala and also to promote tourism activities while conserving the eco system.

 

Six reputed consultant companies participated in the meet and gave their valuable suggestions. While addressing the participants on the occasion, Shri Sudhir Sharma said that in the changed scenario, to provide efficient and people friendly transport system was the need of the hour and State Government was committed to explore such an integrated system of transportation in the State.

Shri Sudhir Sharma said that a consultant company would be appointed within a month to study integrated transport system in the State and efforts would be made to provide such a system to the people in time bound manner. He said that Himachal has vast religious tourism potential and it was important to go for rapid transit system adding that State Government has already taken up various initiatives in this direction.

Shri Subhashish Panda, Secretary, Urban Development and Town & Country Planning said that consultant companies such as Hitachi India Pvt. Ltd., Mlaurent Defrance’t Attache for Embassy France and India, Usha Breco Ltd., Ultra Fairwood, Urban Mass Transit Company Ltd. and IRCON etc. gave their presentations and expressed their willingness to work in this field in the State. Shri Sandeep Kumar, Director, Urban Development and Town & Country Planning said that Himachal would become the first hill state to provide such an ultra modern transport system in the State. Shri P.C. Dhiman, Principal Resident Commissioner, Shri Anil Kapil Chief General Manager, H.P. Infrastructure Board and other senior Officers of the State Government were also present in the Meet.

Kalka-Shimla rail line to get additional coach for high-end inbound tourists

World Heritage Kalka-Shimla rail line will have another attraction. The Indian Railways is all set to introduce a special ‘Jharokha’ coach open from the front and the rear. The first of a kind in India, the coach will be attached to the train on demand only. While railway authorities are adding new attractions to the 97-km track, the Himachal Pradesh government has demanded fresh survey of tunnels and bridges on the track to assess their strength for the safety of passengers.
Sources in the railway department said, "It is fitted with eight luxury seats along with small tables. For a better view, the coach is open from the sides. It is a one of a kind coach introduced in the country."
The popularity of rail journey on the 97-km heritage track, having 917 sharp curves besides 102 tunnels and 988 bridges, could be known from the fact that during holidays, Northern Railways is forced to run special holiday trains on the narrow gauge to cater to the high demand, The Times of India reported.
Sources said during peak tourist season, rail cars were much in demand as small groups of high-spending tourists, especially foreigners, preferred to have special coaches for their upward journey to Shimla. "The new coach has been introduced with the aim to serve the needs of high-end tourists," they added.
Vinay Kumar Arora, Superintendent, Kalka Railway Station, said that though the new coach has been built, it has not been put in service. He said its trial run was conducted during the visit of the world heritage team. "Once charges are fixed, the new coach will be made available on demand and attached to the regular trains," he added.
This is not the first time that railway authorities have planned to add an attraction to the Kalka-Shimla track. Earlier, a proposal was mooted to have a special coach for children with popular cartoon character painted on them, but the idea failed to take off, sources said.

Polls put road project back on track

State Highway 10 that passes through the apple heartland of Himachal and was a sensitive poll issue during assembly polls last year is still far from completion. While the previous BJP regime failed to ensure its completion, now, keeping in view the 2014 polls, Congress government in the state has fixed a deadline of December 15, 2015 to complete the road project.

The 80km road project, which has now become a bone of contention between BJP and Congress, was approved over five years ago. The project was awarded to Chinese government backed Longjian Road and Bridge Limited Company on February 22, 2008, and was slated to be completed by June 4, 2011. After the Chinese firm sought an extension, the previous BJP government set fresh deadline of June 20, 2012, but even after this the project remained incomplete. As the company failed to meet deadline, the government finally cancelled the contract.

Sources said that the state government in February this year had sent fresh tender documents to World Bank. In the revised documents, a proposal was made to complete the project in two phases. Sources said the first phase was of 48km stretch from Theog to Kharapathar, while the second phase was for a 32km stretch from Kharapathar to Rohru.

Officials said a fresh contract agreement was signed between project director Naresh Sharma and Director of C & C Constructions Ltd. R. N. Aggrawal in the presence of Andrew Vogle, independent contract supervision consultant for the World Bank-funded project in Shimla on November 19, 2013. "Codal formalities of both phases have been done and the company has been asked to mobilize resources by the first week of December," said an official.

According to officials, the entire work would take around 30 months to complete. "Efforts are on to complete the project by December 2015," officials added. The project cost has been worked out at Rs 323 crore.

Trams may trundle on Shimla roads

The Queen of Hills is a step closer to getting a light rail transit system (tramway), with the technical team of French Embassy on Thursday giving a green signal to its feasibility. The project mooted by Shimla Municipal Corporation is aimed at decongesting traffic in this tourist destination, would cost around Rs 75 crore per km and take three years to be completed.

The road infrastructure was created during the British rule according to existing needs and little progress has been made till now. With the passage of time, increase in population and inflow of tourists has made matters worse. The number of registered vehicles in Shimla has jumped from 16,450 in 1995 to 48,000 in 2011, of which 67% are private ones. The influx of tourists and outstation vehicles throughout the year is another concern. Once the light rail transit system is introduced in Shimla, the traffic situation is expected to improve.

According to sources, the existing bus system is not reliable and the introduction of a light rail transit system would enhance the traffic movement by 15-20 km per hour, sources said. Around two weeks back, a French delegation had met Shimla mayor and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on the issue, after which the technical team arrived in town.

On Thursday, the team from French Embassy visited the proposed sites for the light rail transit system. The team visited Cart Road-Summer Hill and Chhota Shimla-Lift and Sanjauli-Ridge stretches as well as the Circular Road for pre-feasibility study where tramways are proposed.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Trams-may-trundle-on-Shimla-roads/articleshow/25789600.cms

100-year-old steam engine runs on Shimla heritage track

Shimla on Wednesday witnessed running of a 100-year-old steam engine on a heritage track along a short 1km stretch between the railway station and the bus stand.

Shimla residents and tourists were thrilled to see the only existing narrow gauge vintage KC-520 steam engine chugging off. This was the engine that first ran on the Kalka-Shimla track in 1903.

Till the seventies this steam engine ferried coaches on the Kalka-Shimla track, and on Wednesday when it came to a halt at the railway extension platform near the bus stand, it was given a rousing reception by the people gathered there.

The special guests who travelled on it were from Switzerland and are associated with Bernina mountain railway. They are in Shimla under the idea exchange programme. Accompanied by senior railway officials they enjoyed their brief ride in the 1903-made engine that had two coaches attached to it.

This steam engine was brought out of retirement from Saharanpur. As per records, the KC-520 engine is said to be built by North British Locomotive Company for Rs 30,000 and was put out of service in 1971 with the advent of diesel locomotives.

The KC-520 was again put into use in 2001 for small trips between Shimla and Kathleeghat for foreign tourists as well as high-end tourists and people from the corporate sector, and at a cost of around Rs 1.08 lakh for a short trip for 25 people it became a popular attraction.

When the engine completed 100 years of its existence in 2003, Indian Railways and Himachal Pradesh government gave a privilege ride to then railway minister and 100 invitees on the historic KC 520 steam engine pulling the Kalka-Shimla toy train.

Road travel a risky affair in Himachal Pradesh

In Himachal Pradesh travelling in buses have become a risky affair for the passengers as poor condition of roads coupled with rash driving and lack of monitoring is resulting into frequent road accidents. After each accident magisterial probe is ordered which fails to deter private bus drivers from rash and negligent driving. Recent bus accident killing 21 people in Sirmaur district on September 27 has once again brought to fore the vulnerability of people travelling in buses.

Since July this year Sirmaur district alone has witnessed 41 people being killed in two bus accidents. After Sirmaur accident deputy commissioner of Sirmaur had announced magisterial probe but according to sources thousands of accidents take place in the state every year in which hundreds of people lost their lives. Sources said magisterial probe report is sent to concerned department after each accident but no remedial measures are ever taken on these reports which results into more accidents.

Himachal Pradesh has around 7500 to 8000 buses registered in the state for transporting passengers. If the buses coming from other states and those involved in transporting students and other institutions are added then number reaches around 9000. In the remote locations buses are the sole medium of transport and their less frequency results into overloading. According to officials in state transport department they have resource constraints and have shortage of manpower in keeping regular check on the buses plying within state.

Traffic Tourist and Railways Wing (TTR) of Himachal Police had done a survey on rad accidents between 2006 to 2012 and in the survey 314 black spots were identified where 4488 accidents took place in six years resulting into death of 1048 people and injuries to 6844. According to sources, suggestions of this survey was forwarded to state PWD department so as to develop these accidents prone areas called as black spots but nothing much has happed till date.

While rash driving, overloading, untrained drivers and poor roads are among the factors that have led to the rise in fatal accidents, majority (97.84 %) of the accident were due to drunken driving and human error.

Following Sirmaur tragedy Himachal Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Sanjay Kumar had directed the police officials in all the districts to launch special campaign from October 1 to 15 against drunken driving and over speeding especially in accident prone area.

IGP, administration and welfare, S R Ojha said that it has been observed that drunken driving and over speeding are the main causes of accidents resulting into loss of precious human lives. "In order to check such incidents DGP had directed to launch special campaign," he said.

Ojha said that drive would be launched particularly in the black spots (accident prone areas) of state and SP's of all the districts have been advised to use scientific equipment's like Alco Sensors and Doppler Radars.

Via: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Road-travel-a-risky-affair-in-Himachal-Pradesh/articleshow/23825161.cms

Transport Minister demands modern ambulances for the State

Transport Minister, Shri G.S.Bali has sought the financial assistance of Government of India in providing modern ambulances and small cranes to carry out relief work more effectively in the cases of road accidents. He has also suggested and demanded for setting up of high quality railings on sharp curves to minimise the accident risks. 

He was speaking in the 14th National Road Safety Council Meeting at ICAR, New Delhi today. He said that the State Government was taking effective steps to ensure road safety and check road accidents in the State. However, the GoI should consider about formulating a policy regarding the drivers coming to hilly areas who often met with accidents due to lack of driving experience on the hilly roads.

Shri Bali said that way-bridges would be constructed on barriers and major bridges of the State so as to check and control the over loading. The police personnel and RTO’s had been provided with Alcometres to keep check on over speeding. He also said that e-challan system soon would be started in the State.