Days after woman Journalist’s death, Odisha Minister flags unsafe road conditions

Bhubaneswar: Days after two women, including a Journalist, were killed on National Highway-316 after their two-wheeler skidded on sand spilled on the road, Odisha’s Minister of Commerce and Transport, Bibhuti Bhusan Jena, today expressed serious concern over unsafe road conditions and directed the Transport Commissioner to ensure roads remain clean and traffic-worthy at all times.

Following the minister’s direction, the Transport Commissioner issued a letter to all road-owning and road-maintaining agencies, including the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the Works Department, municipal corporations, municipalities and NACs, stressing their statutory responsibility to maintain hazard-free roads.

The letter highlighted loose sand, construction material and debris on carriageways significantly reduce tyre grip, leading to skidding and fatal accidents, particularly endangering two-wheeler riders. It directed concerned agencies to ensure prompt removal of such spillages.

Referring to Section 198A of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, the letter warned failure to maintain safe road conditions could attract legal consequences, reinforcing the accountability of agencies entrusted with road maintenance.

The Transport Commissioner further instructed agencies to carry out regular and mechanised road cleaning, respond immediately to sand or debris spillages, identify accident-prone and vulnerable stretches, and maintain close coordination with enforcement authorities.

“Any lapse noticed during inspections or accident inquiries will be viewed seriously and fixed with accountability at the field-officer level,” the letter stated.

On January 6, Journalist Sheela Pattanayak and another woman travelling with her on a two-wheeler were run over by a bus near Jamalpur on NH-316. Their vehicle reportedly skidded due to sand spillage on the road before being hit by the bus.

The two women were travelling from Bhubaneswar to Puri.