Alappuzha Kalarcode accident: Accidents due to improper design of roads on the rise, matter raised in Parliament

NEW DELHI: KC Venugopal MP on Thursday raised the tragic incident of five medical students losing their lives in a road accident at Kalarcode, Alappuzha, in the Parliament, highlighting the need to implement road safety measures with greater vigilance. Venugopal, who described the death of medical students in the accident as both devastating and heartbreaking, urged the central and state governments to ensure the effective enforcement of existing laws to prevent fatalities in road accidents.

Venugopal demanded that all road safety laws, including the Good Samaritan Law, which helps provide medical aid to accident victims, be implemented effectively. He also urged that the improper designs of national highways and other roads should be reviewed. According to the Law Commission report, 50% of those injured in accidents die due to lack of medical aid at the critical stage. He also pointed out that unscientific road designs are also a major cause of accidents.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, who dodged the question by KC Venugopal regarding the Kalarcode accident, instead attempted to respond about the construction of the Ernakulam bypass. However, he was forced to respond on the Kalarcode accident following the protest by KC Venugopal. But instead of addressing the issue, the Union Minister attempted to deflect by blaming the people and making excuses in his response speech.

Nitin Gadkari stated that the central government is committed to taking necessary steps to reduce road accidents. He also emphasized that the public must be willing to strictly follow traffic laws. He stated that most road accidents occur due to black spots on roads that obstruct drivers' vision. He also mentioned that the ministry has allocated a special fund to address this issue.