44,746 E-Challans Issued on First Day of ‘Zero Death Week’ Road Safety Campaign
Odishabarta,News
25,282 Challans for Riding Without Helmets, 4,160 for Over-Speeding
Cuttack, September 2, 2026: With a commitment to saving lives at the beginning of every month, the Odisha Government has decided to intensify road safety initiatives across the state.
With the objective of reducing road accidents and ensuring strict compliance with traffic safety rules, several measures are being undertaken under the direction of Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena. As part of these efforts, the ‘Zero Death Week’ road safety campaign has commenced across the state.
The campaign will be observed during the first week of every month from September 2026 to March 2027. On the first day of the campaign, enforcement agencies issued a total of 44,746 e-challans for various violations of motor vehicle and road safety regulations.
Of the total challans, 25,282 were issued for riding without helmets, while 4,160 were issued for over-speeding. As many as 1,383 challans were issued for triple riding and 1,216 for driving vehicles without valid insurance.
In addition, 703 challans were issued for driving without seat belts, 549 for operating vehicles without permits, 157 for driving on the wrong side of the road and 91 for drunk driving. More than 500 challans were also issued for other violations of motor vehicle rules.
Among the Regional Transport Offices (RTOs), Jharsuguda RTO issued 571 challans, followed by Cuttack RTO with 516, Puri RTO with 511, Ganjam RTO with 415 and Bhubaneswar-I RTO with 410 challans.
Alongside strict enforcement, the campaign is placing strong emphasis on creating awareness about road safety rules. The Transport Department, Police Department and other concerned agencies have been directed to undertake extensive awareness activities with the participation of various voluntary organisations.
On the first day of the campaign, awareness programmes were conducted at several locations across the state to educate motorists about the importance of following road safety regulations. Special awareness programmes were organised in Sonepur, Bhadrak, Talcher and Jajpur in collaboration with the Transport Department and drivers’ associations.
The campaign is also focusing on road engineering and emergency medical care, apart from enforcement and public awareness. Special attention is being given to all accident-prone routes and identified black spots across the state.
Joint checking drives will be conducted by the Police and Transport Department in districts witnessing a high number of road accidents. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will also undertake necessary corrective measures at dangerous spots along national highways.
In coordination with the Health Department, emergency medical services have been strengthened to ensure that road accident victims receive immediate treatment and that precious lives can be saved.
Arrangements are also being made to ensure that accident victims receive necessary medical treatment without hindrance under the PM Relief Scheme.
Besides, individuals who come forward to save the lives of road accident victims will be recognised and honoured by the government through awards such as ‘Rahabir’ and ‘Good Samaritan’.
The Commerce and Transport Department has appealed to everyone to cooperate in the efforts to reduce road accidents by strictly following road safety rules.
“Strict compliance with road safety regulations is essential to reduce road accidents and save precious lives,” the department said.
