With more than 3.30 lakh registered vehicles as of March 2015, road safety has become a major concern
Our Correspondent
Kohima | March 26
The Nagaland Road Safety Authority Act, 2013 (1st Amendment) Bill 2018 was passed today on the floor of the State Assembly.
The Bill was moved by Minister for Transport, Civil Aviation & Railways, and Land Resources P. Paiwang Konyak for consideration and passing.
Keeping in view the very high incidence of road accidents in the country, the central government had called upon all state governments to consider road safety as a national issue and to embark upon mass sensitization of all road users, stated the objective and the reasons for the amendment.
Policy makers, planners, road engineers, doctors and paramedics, enforcing agencies, and NGOs etc must be sensitised towards reducing the incidence of road incidents and fatalities through a comprehensive and multi pronged strategic plan, it stated.
Again, it has become obligatory for all states to formulate Road Safety Authority in line with the Kerala Road Safety Authority which is taken as the benchmark in regard to road safety. Vehicle population in Nagaland state has more than doubled in the last one decade. Road safety, thus, is a major concern for the state government and high level of preparedness is required at all times, it stated.
As of March 31, 2015, there were more than 3.30 lakhs registered vehicle on the road throughout the state, a department document informed.
While state government has already set up the State Road Safety Council, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio in the statement of object and reasons stated that the Council has not been able to function effectively due to absence of the manual or specific duty and functions of the Council.
Thus to strengthen institutional infrastructure on road safety by giving statutory powers and functions, it is proposed to enact the Nagaland Road Safety Authority Act, 2013 in line with the Kerala Road Safety, he said.
On financial memorandum, Rio stated the establishment of the Nagaland Road Safety Authority will involve some expenditure from the consolidated fund of the state of Nagaland.
As per section 11 of the Bill, a fund called the Nagaland Road Safety Fund will be established, to which the state government shall contribute every year an amount equal to 50% of the compounding fees collected every year under Section 200 of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988.
However, the amount of such contribution cannot be ascertained/estimated at the moment, but it is expected to be in the region of not more than one to two lakh of rupees per year, Rio stated.
