PRESS RELEASE
Multi-Stakeholder Workshop on Road Safety Action Plan for Tamil Nadu
Speakers : Mr. Shunchonngam Jatak Chiru, IAS, Transport Commissioner (Tamil Nadu)
Ms. Nidhi Singh, Additional Commissioner (Road Safety) (Rajasthan)
Mr. Krishnan Srinivasan, Senior Transport Consultant, The World Bank
Ms. Rutvija Dani, Regional Enforcement Officer, Gujarat Road Safety Authority,
Mr. Atul Singh, Chief Operating Officer, Centre of Excellence for Road Safety, IIT Madras
For immediate release 25 March 2025
Chennai
India has seen a consistent rise in road crash fatalities, driven by expanding road networks and faster vehicles, recording the highest number of road accidents in India for five consecutive years (2018-2022). In 2023 alone, Tamil Nadu recorded 18,347 road fatalities, with Chennai alone accounting for 504 of these deaths. While the state was an early adopter of a Road Safety Policy in 2007, an updated and structured State Road Safety Action Plan is critical to achieving the national goal of reducing road accident deaths by 50% by 2030.
To highlight the need for robust plans and policies to address the tragedy of lives and livelihoods lost on our roads, Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG) hosted a multi-stakeholder workshop aimed at developing a State Road Safety Action Plan. Mr. Shunchonngam Jatak Chiru, IAS (Transport Commissioner), speaking at the event, highlighted the gap between policy and implementation. He urged all stakeholders present at the workshop to devise solutions to address the same. He pointed out that the government was keen on ensuring road safety, with some positive effects over the last two months. In addition, he said that the government was in the process of establishing a Road Safety Authority for the state and will be coming out with a robust road safety action plan for the state in the near future.
Ms. Nidhi Singh, the Additional Commissioner for Road Safety at the Department of Transport and Road Safety in Rajasthan, speaking on Rajasthan’s recently developed Road Safety Action Plan, delivered a comprehensive presentation outlining a step-by-step process used by the state. A robust Road Safety Action Plan needs multi-sectoral intervention, as highlighted by Mr. Krishnan Srinivasan, Senior Transport Consultant at The World Bank, sharing case studies from Chennai and Assam.
A strong institutional framework, adopting a safe systems approach, making data-driven decisions, and setting achievable targets are essential aspects of a Road Safety Action Plan, acknowledged by all speakers.
The event underscored the significance of policy intervention, especially for issues as complex as road safety. While Tamil Nadu works to improve its road safety standards, it was also heartening to hear that Rajasthan has incorporated TN’s protocol for emergency care for road accident victims.
For further information, contact: Divya Senthil - +91 73580 11268 | divya.senthil@cag.org.in
About CAG
Citizen consumer & civic Action Group (CAG) is a thirty nine year old non-profit and non-political organisation working on citizen rights and good governance. It has worked primarily to protect the interests of consumers and citizens of Chennai though its efforts have had state level and even national level impacts.